Seven Strategies for Community Level Change

1. Provide Information: Educational presentations, workshops or seminars, and data or media presentations (e.g., Public Service Announcements (PSAs), brochures, town halls, forums, web communications).
2. Enhance Skills: Workshops, seminars, or activities designed to increase the skills of participants, members, and staff (e.g., training and technical assistance, parenting classes, strategic planning retreats, model programs in schools).
3. Provide Support: Creating opportunities for participation in activities that reduce risk or enhance protection (e.g., alternative activities, mentoring, referrals for service, support groups, youth clubs).
4. Enhance Access/Reduce Barriers: Improving systems/processes to increase the ease, ability, and opportunity to utilize those systems and services (e.g., assuring transportation, housing, education, safety, and cultural sensitivity) in prevention initiatives.  Reduce Access/Enhance Barriers: Improving systems/processes to decrease the ease, ability, and opportunity for youth to access substances (e.g., raising the price of single-serve cans of alcohol, implementing retail alcohol/tobacco compliance checks).
5. Change Consequences: Increasing or decreasing the probability of a behavior (incentives/disincentives) by altering the consequences for performing that behavior (e.g., increasing taxes, citations, and fines; revocation/loss of driver’s license).
6. Change Physical Design: Changing the physical design of the environment to reduce risk or enhance protection (e.g., re-routing foot/car traffic, adjusting park hours, alcohol/tobacco outlet density).  NOTE: DFC federal funds cannot support landscape and lighting projects.  As such, costs for these projects cannot be used as match.
7. Modify/Change Policies:  Formal change in written procedures, by-laws, proclamations, rules, or laws (e.g., workplace initiatives, law enforcement procedures and practices, public policy actions, systems change).  NOTE: As per both HHS/SAMHSA and ONDCP guidelines, lobbying with federal dollars is not permitted.  As such, costs for lobbying cannot be used as match.