Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol
Environmental strategies are focused on changing aspects of the
environment that contribute to the use of alcohol and other drugs.
Specifically, environmental strategies aim to decrease the social and
health consequences of substance abuse by limiting access to substances
and changing social norms that are accepting and permissive of substance
abuse.
Efforts can change public laws, policies and practices to create
environments that decrease the probability of substance abuse. Broadly
defined, individual strategies are short-term actions focused on
changing individual behavior, while environmental strategies involve
longer-term, potentially permanent changes that have a broader reach
(e.g., policies and laws that affect all members of society).
Environmental strategies are a proven powerful way to address identified
community problems such as, alcohol and tobacco use, by changing the
social and physical environment in which we live.
The programs incorporate a number of goals, including: Assessing the
community for it’s readiness for change, Developing a core leadership
group with key community stakeholders, Develop a plan of action,
Building mass base of support with community volunteers (adults and
youth), Implementing an action plan, Maintaining the organization and
institutionalizing change, and Evaluating changes.
The Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) Program of Volunteers of America Alaska is funded by The Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG).
For additional information, please contact:
Charlie Daniels
Director of Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol
1675 C Street, Ste. 201
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Tel: (907) 279-9602
Fax: (907) 276-5489