The Bridgebuilders Project is a multi-tiered project that couples state level resources regarding enforcement and prevention of alcohol and other drug use among youth with local level efforts. It is a multi-tiered, multi-dimensional approach to reduce alcohol and other drug use among youth in eleven Ohio communities that integrates environmentally and individually focused strategies. There are four phases in local project implementation.
- Phase I - Getting Started
- Phase 2 - Igniting The Spirit
- Phase 3 - Creating A Series of Small Wins
- Phase 4 - Stabilization
Research activities will test the effectiveness of the Bridgebuilders approach for prompting action around the issue of reducing underage drinking and drug use compared to seven control communities. The conceptualization of the project is based on the Community Readiness Model developed by the Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Colorado State University (Edwards, Jumper-Thurman, Plested, Oetting, and Swanson, 2000, Journal of Community Psychology), which delineates nine stages a community goes through in taking effective action on any issue:
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Phase 1
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No awareness of the issue; |
| Denial or recognition of the issue as a problem but no ownership of it as a local problem; No awareness of the issue; | |
| Vague awareness or beginning of recognition of the local problem | |
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Phase 2
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Preplanning involves a clear recognition that the community has a problem and there are solutions that they can implement |
| Preparation involves planning on how to address the issue and decisions about what to do about it | |
| Initiation of activity – viewed as new efforts involving only a few | |
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Phase 3
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Stabilization – more activities approaching stability but no evaluation evidence |
| Confirmation/Expansion – standard efforts are in place, evaluation has occurred, and resources for new efforts are identified | |
| Professionalism – members have more sophisticated knowledge about the issue and how to deal with it, effective evaluation of efforts are accomplished |
The process for implementing the Bridgebuilders project began following a leadership summit on underage drinking that was held in September 2002. At that time, the Office of the First Lady of Ohio hosted a Leadership Summit to Keep Children Alcohol Free where community leaders attending the summit were asked if they would like to begin a coalition in their hometown. Based on these responses, a team of researchers under the leadership of Dr. Keith King (513-556-3859), University of Cincinnati, College of Education, Division of Human Services, Health Promotion Program, chose fifteen communities to participate in the Bridgebuilders research project. Since that time, six communities have been added. Eleven of the communities are called experimental communities, and as such, will receive a Bridgebuilders materials kit, training and technical assistance. Three of the communities are receiving different resources/training and seven of the communities will receive nothing other than financial support.
Bridgebuilders is a project designed to improve indicators of alcohol and other drug use in eleven Ohio communities, as outlined in the Healthy People 2010 substance abuse objectives for the Nation. Each Bridgebuilder community is being asked to survey youth in their area in a pre and post test format using a survey developed by Dr. King. The youth survey will measure youth perceptions and behavior related to alcohol and other drug use. Local Bridgebuilding Projects will begin in March of 2003 and continue through March of 2006. Within this website, the user can access the Bridgebuilders Materials Kit for a Task Force member and a System Facilitator. The Bridgebuilders materials kit is designed to facilitate the communities’ progress through the four implementation phases. To access an electronic version of the Bridgebuilders materials kit, please click on the button entitled, Materials Kit.