Call for Workgroup Participants

At our most recent annual conference, the TAASA prevention team facilitated a conversation about the status of prevention in Texas, and how we can move our collective prevention efforts forward. We were excited to see the level of energy and knowledge around prevention, and to hear about the great work that folks are doing across the state.

During the focus group, we let folks know that we are starting work on a toolkit for primary prevention staff. The goals for the toolkit are to serve as an introductory document to primary prevention efforts in Texas for new hires at organizations and to provide resources and support to folks who’ve been doing prevention work for a while. We also plan to develop some materials that will support implementation of the state plan, including ideas for implementation for each goal. Our target date for completion of this toolkit is TAASA’s Primary Prevention Institute, to be held in Austin on Aug. 8 and 9.

Several attendees at the Moving Prevention Forward conversation shared that they would be interested in being a part of the process of creating this toolkit – in providing feedback and real examples of successful prevention programming. This desire matches well with our own – to include folks on the front lines of prevention implementation in the process of creating a toolkit that will truly address the needs of preventioneers throughout Texas. I am emailing you today to ask for your help, your experience, your expertise and a little of your time.

We recognize that folks are incredibly busy already with implementation in their own agencies, as well as the many other types of work many of you do in addition to prevention programming. We would not expect you to give any more time that you are comfortable giving to this project, and welcome any help you can offer. We’re looking for folks who are willing to do any or all of the following.

• Be a part of an initial review of the toolkit table of contents to let us know if anything is missing or if anything we plan to include is not needed.
• Be a part of an initial conversation about a specific piece of the toolkit to determine the type of content that should be included as well as its general lay out.
• Gather examples from the experiences of folks implementing prevention programs in Texas that help illustrate points in the toolkit.
• Help review content for the toolkit once it is written. We’re not looking for proofreaders, but rather folks who can help us ensure that the language we use is accessible to its intended audience (not too theoretical – more practical) and that the content makes sense and is useful.

If you are interested in helping guide the content of this toolkit – helping us develop a toolkit that will serve as a valuable resource to you and your fellow preventioneers – please contact Tim Love at tlove@taasa.org. He will talk to you about the level of guidance you might feel comfortable offering.

We look forward to working with you. As always, feel free to contact us individually, or as a group at prevention@taasa.org for any assistance or resources you may need regarding your primary prevention programming.