Northeast > Resources > Prevention Materials > Prevention Strategies > Collaboration

Collaboration

Collaboration is a process of participation through which people, groups, and organizations come together in a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship to work toward results they are more likely to achieve together than alone. More often than not, collaboration is viewed as a technique by which agencies and organizations pool their human resources to maximize the dollars they have. However, in the field of prevention it is also regarded as a value. Collaboration reflects a point a view: That by working together partners, formal or informal, can bring different perspectives to bear to solve a problem and bring about change. Collaboration can have a positive impact on the health and quality of life of a state or community. Thinking and behaving collaboratively has been shown to be effective in raising awareness about substance abuse and violence and in coordinating prevention and treatment services.

Specific resources contained on this site include the following:

Collaboration: A Strategy for Prevention Practitioners.
A 17-page paper on collaboration: What it means as a prevention
strategy and how you can incorporate it into your work as a prevention practitioner. This document addresses:
• the continuum of collaboration
• the benefits and costs of collaborating
• types of collaboration
• stages of collaboration
• characteristics of effective collaboration leaders

Collaboration Fact Sheet and Illustration (Webpage, Acrobat 2 pages) This document describes how collaboration can be used in substance abuse prevention, plus an illustration—a real-life example of collaboration in action.

Collaboration Video. Created by CSAP’s Northeast CAPT, this video features a town effort to address alcohol and other drug issues in New Haven, CT.

This video is accessible using windows media player 9 series for Windows 98 2nd ed., Me, and 2000. Click here to download it. Click here to read transcript.

Collaboration Resources. This document contains a list of resources—both online and in print—designed to help foster collaboration in your community.