Creating a partnership among churches, communities, and campuses to provide anti-tobacco education
Abstract
Reaching a population in need can seem daunting for one group or organization. However, by teaming with other service providers in a community, resources are pooled and more people are served. AmeriCorps*VISTA members at the Center on Aging and Horizons Intergenerational Wellness at Texas Southern University uses a model which brings together the campus, church, and community to implement viable anti-tobacco use activities in the greater Houston, Texas, area. This effective practice was shared at the AmeriCorps*VISTA Faith-Based and Community Organization Conference at the University of Indianapolis, August 20-22, 2001.Issue
Individual efforts to reverse the tide of today's problems can be overwhelming. On the other hand, collective efforts of volunteers, citizens, entrepreneurs, academics and grassroots, civic and religious leaders can contribute to helping solve many of society's problems.Action
Twenty AmeriCorps*VISTA members at the Center on Aging and Horizons Interngenerational Wellness at Texas Southern University have partnered with local churches and community organizations in the greater Houston, Texas, area to build a tobacco education and prevention program.
By using the center's 3C model of campus, church, and community, the AmeriCorps*VISTA members are able to reach more people in targeted under-served populations who need health care and are often inaccessible due to language barriers and cultural insensitivity.
Motivation on the part of the volunteers, careful supervision by the Center's director and skillful program management has been important components of the anti-tobacco initiative's success.
The Campus Component
The campus brings to the relationship a cadre of academics who have conducted applied research and statistical analysis; disseminated findings; mastered leadership, training, marketing, and coalition-building skills; and gained insights into and respect for diversity. Additionally, the campus offers a pool of paraprofessionals who provide technical assistance and students who are willing to learn and serve. Campus representatives trained the AmeriCorps*VISTA members in the five major approaches to reducing tobacco use: educational, clinical, regulatory, economic, and comprehensive. Using this training, the AmeriCorps*VISTA members planned, developed, implemented, and evaluated wellness programs in selected churches and senior community centers in the greater Houston area.
The Church Component
Often the church provides solace and encourages hope among people who have been disenfranchised when other institutions fail. The church proved to be fertile ground to plant the tobacco prevention/intervention/cessation seeds.
Of the 200 churches invited to participate in the partnership tobacco project, 50 percent of the ministers initially assumed active roles in promoting the wellness initiative. With the AmeriCorps*VISTA members, they used their pulpits, church bulletins and the Center's anti-tobacco materials to encourage participants to spread the anti-tobacco message and participate in the surveys.
The ministers also helped build coalitions with other churches. Viable wellness programs were established and/or enhanced in 75 of the churches.
The Community Component
The community at large is the center of services for grassroots populations, including medical, social economical, religious, educational, and civic services. By extending their efforts to community organizations, the AmeriCorps*VISTA members were able to expand the scope of the wellness project. More people were impacted by the project resulting from collaborative activities with grassroots coalitions and other agencies and organizations having the same anti-tobacco use agenda. The AmeriCorps*VISTA members collaborated with organizations such as the World Youth Foundation, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the American Lung Association, and the American Cancer Society. The 3C method provides opportunities for active involvement in the process by those with a stake in the program. The volunteers and academics from the campus, the partners from the church, and the beneficiaries in the community worked together to diagnose problems, find solutions, and evaluate performance.
Outcome
For the past three years, AmeriCorps*VISTA members have worked in 200 churches. In 75 of the churches, an estimated 3,200 people have been impacted by the wellness program. The AmeriCorps*VISTA members disseminated information about illness and disease, promoted awareness, prevention, and cessation concerning tobacco use, and provided similar activities and services to the housebound.
The community's involvement in the project increased the number of participants from 3,200 to 6,848.
Posted On
August 14, 2001For More Information