|
|
Reports and Publications ::
2001 Report
Building Partnership Capacity of the Partnership to Support These Recommendations and Community Asset-Building
The community agenda for children, youth and families is a work in progress. In the upcoming year, the Partnership hopes to:
- Continue to promote the Assets Framework and assist community members in taking it to the next practical level.
- Provide support to the Boards and the community in interpreting the recommendations and ensure that they are carried out in ways that are
consistent with the intent of the work groups.
- Strengthen and nurture a core Youth Group to advise our work.
- Begin to address the remaining objectives identified by the work groups.
- Continue to review the survey data for insight into improving support for our children and their families.
- Gather additional data on the needs of Arlington children, youth and families.
The following recommendation is fundamental to continued progress in the areas outlined above, including the success
of the package of recommendations contained in this report:
|
RECOMMENDATION: Increase the staff capacity of the Partnership by 2 additional positions.
|
- First, the Partnership needs a full-time Community Liaison for Asset-Building who would be responsible for supporting groups and
individuals in carrying the Assets Framework to the next practical level throughout the community. The survey data demand that we work to build
more assets for Arlington youth. With four exceptions, less than half of Arlington County youth report having any given external asset--the assets
provided by family, neighbors, school, and community.
The lack of external assets is mirrored by the lack of internal assets and the prevalence of associated risk behaviors. Only 27% of 12th graders
report restraint with respect to the use of drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. Over half of 12th graders had used alcohol in the 30 days leading
up to the survey. Only 45 percent of 8th graders report peaceful conflict resolution, making it perhaps unsurprising that 39% had hit someone in
the previous year.
Fortunately, community receptivity to the Assets framework has been strong. And the adoption of the Assets Framework by both the County Board and
the School Board sets up an expectation from these groups in the community that support in carrying out this initiative will be provided. Examples
of already-expressed interest include:
- School senior staff want to explore opportunities for integrating the Assets Framework into the schools.
- Service providers in neighborhood and housing groups want assistance in using the framework in their community-building.
- The PTAs, Arlingtonians for a Better County, the After School Network, American Association of University Women, and other groups want additional presentations on assets.
- Several individuals want to begin parenting groups with asset-building as the focus.
- Representatives from Parks and Recreation, the Community Services Board, and the Community Development Block Grant staff in the Planning Department have all begun to consider
ways to integrate asset-building into their processes.
- The Washington Post is considering running a regular weekly feature on asset-building in its Arlington/Alexandria Extra section, and expects materials and contacts to be provided by the
Partnership on a weekly basis.
All of these groups and organizations have requested support from the Partnership in moving forward on these initiatives. And the recent community
forum on the survey results has generated another wave of requests for support. The Assets Liaison position could be a contract position and would
require approximately $66,000 in salary and operating expenses.
- Second, an administrative support position is needed so that the Coordinator, Data Coordinator and Assets Liaison can focus their time on the more strategic components of the work and on supporting
the execution of the recommendations set forward in this report.
As community interest in and output from the Partnership grows, so has the volume of correspondence and information requests (via e-mail, phone, and
regular mail); the need for coordinating and supporting committees and work groups, trainings, and networking meetings; and the need to report on and
continually update the community on the progress and activities of the Partnership.
These functions are labor intensive, and would be supported more cost-effectively by someone acting in an administrative position. Approximately $32,000
in salary and operating expenses is needed for this position.
- Third, an unanticipated demand on the Partnership staff has been the steady flow of requests from County and non-profit organizations to serve as the
collaborative vehicle required by many federal, state and private grant-makers. These grants frequently require that a community board provide a needs
assessment, guidance on services, and even oversight and evaluation of grant activities. Many groups are asking the Partnership to serve in this function,
or to support their projects in other ways.
The Partnership Board is currently trying to clarify the role it should play in community grants. If it is truly a community forum for developing the agenda
for Arlingtons children and families, then it would follow that all funds for activities relating to children and families should be cleared through the
Partnership. However, this function far exceeds current staff capacity. To play any meaningful role in this area would require that the additional staff
described above be in place.
|
|
