Douglas County, Kansas – On Monday, January 31, Engage Douglas County was one of 178 community coalitions honored during a graduation ceremony at CADCA’s (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) 32nd Annual National Leadership Forum, just outside of Washington, D.C. The coalitions received a graduation certificate for completing CADCA’s National Coalition Academy, a rigorous training program designed to increase the effectiveness of community substance use and misuse prevention leaders.
CADCA’s National Coalition Academy (NCA) is a comprehensive, year-long training program developed by CADCA’s National Coalition Institute. The NCA incorporates three, week-long classroom sessions, a web-based distance learning component, an online workstation where participants network and share planning products and free ongoing coalition development technical assistance. To graduate, coalitions must complete a rigorous curriculum. They must participate in all components of the NCA and complete five essential planning products that serve as the foundation of their comprehensive plan for community change.
CADCA’s Graduate Coalition Academy (GCA) completed its inaugural year and was designed to take coalitions to the next step of tracking implementation and reporting the long, intermediate and short-term outcomes of their efforts. Participants of the GCA were taught and mentored to enhance their effect in the community by improving their community assessment and logic models, developing comprehensive strategies targeting local conditions and monitoring and tracking coalition and community implementation efforts to achieve coalition objectives.
CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is a four-day event packed with opportunities to learn the latest strategies to address substance use and misuse. Attendees have to opportunity to hear and learn from nationally prevention experts, federal administrators and concerned policymakers. Forum brings together approximately 2,500 attendees representing coalitions from all regions of the country and internationally, government leaders, youth, prevention specialists, addiction treatment professionals, addiction recovery advocates, researchers, educators, law enforcement professionals and faith-based leaders. It is the largest training event for the prevention field.
About Engage Douglas County
The mission of Engage Douglas County is to mobilize and empower Douglas County to reduce substance abuse and promote mental health primarily among youth through action, education, and collaboration.
About CADCA
The mission of CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create and maintain safe, healthy and drug-free communities globally. This is accomplished by providing coalition development assistance and training, public policy advocacy, special events, media strategies and marketing programs.