1 / 36

Healthy DuPage - Character Development Coalition

Healthy DuPage - Character Development Coalition. GETTING CHARACTER EDUCATION OUT OF THE SCHOOLS…AND INTO THE COMMUNITY By Building Community-wide Character Coalitions. Background Information Character Development Coalition Community Activity Examples Measurement & Evaluation

tana-hughes
Download Presentation

Healthy DuPage - Character Development Coalition

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Healthy DuPage - Character Development Coalition GETTING CHARACTER EDUCATION OUT OF THE SCHOOLS…AND INTO THE COMMUNITYBy Building Community-wide Character Coalitions. 1/02

  2. Background Information Character Development Coalition Community Activity Examples Measurement & Evaluation Coalition Building Principles Community Organizing Questions & Answers BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONS PRESENTATION OUTLINE:

  3. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSBackground Information • Suburban “collar” county - 20 miles west of Chicago and Cook County, IL • Population: 904,161 (2000) - 80% white with 125% increase in Hispanic population since ‘90 • 332 square miles • 39 municipalities (20 wholly within the county) • 35,000 acres of parks & forest preserves • Argonne & Fermi Nat’l Labs = 8,500 acres & 7,000 employees DuPage County

  4. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSBackground Information • 46 golf courses • 1 polo facility • 7 hospitals (systems) • 43 public schools districts • 155,296 students • 11,261 teachers • 241 school buildings • 14 colleges including a community college (COD) with enrollment of 36,073 • 32 public libraries • Median income: $62,825 DuPage County

  5. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSBackground Information • Established in 1999 as part of the international Healthier Communities movement • Grassroots, regional planning and implementation organization to address broad health issues (socioeconomic, mental, environmental, etc.) • Board of Directors and 500+ Stakeholders from health, government, social service, businesses, spiritual, etc. MISSION:To measurably improve the health and well-being of DuPage County residents.

  6. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSBackground Information CHARACTER AND VALUES ACTION TEAM • Formed on April 23, 1999 as one of seven focus areas • Voluntary effort - met regularly to identify and coordinate what was happening in the County in the area of character development • Discovered that CHARACTER COUNTS!was already being used in several communities in the County • Recommended the formation of a countywide Character Development Coalition to coordinate and expand efforts. CHARACTER COUNTS!is a service mark of theCHARACTER COUNTS!Coalition, a project of the Josephson Institute of Ethics.

  7. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition • Formed in November 29, 2000 • Meets monthly over lunch • Representatives from involved and interested communities • Average = 34 people from 16 communities • National memberships in CEPand CHARACTER COUNTS! (14 communities have adopted CC!with over 500 trained)

  8. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition VISION:To be a county where core ethical values are consistently taught, promoted, supported, and modeled by individuals and community organizations.

  9. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition MISSION: • To establish and maintain an alliance of representatives from each community • To foster a common language so that shared values may be recognized, discussed, and supported across community boundaries • To provide a forum for the sharing of ideas • To serve as a resource for program development, measurement and evaluation.

  10. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition GOALS: • To coordinate community-based character development initiatives in all of DuPage County • To foster the establishment of character development coalitions in every community • To establish a resource center of sample materials • To coordinate the character development efforts throughout the County by working with countywide organizations • To develop a process and tools that can be used for measurement and evaluation of impact in individual communities and on a countywide basis.

  11. 1.Networking and idea sharing Planning & coordination BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition FOCUS AREAS:

  12. 2.Awareness and communications BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition FOCUS AREAS: Character Development Week Brochure and website Countywide organizations

  13. 3.Resource Center (at the College of DuPage) BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition FOCUS AREAS: 4.Measurement and evaluation

  14. Executive Committee “Attendance Model”  Coalition of Coalitions Meetings (lunch-time): General sharing Special presentation Small group action teams: Awareness Programming Continuity Evaluation Coordinator (research) Director ServiceMASTER BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCharacter Development Coalition ORGANIZATION: ‘Part-time’ Leadership:

  15. Regular meetings Training sessions Community festivals Character Education Week Proclamations Awards Publicity and visible reminders Measurement BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Coalitions • Schools • City Government • Police & Fire departments • Library • Parks & recreation department • Faith organizations • Youth organizations • Businesses • Media ACTIVITIES: PARTICIPATION:

  16. Character building activities in the schools are unseen... BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  17. Entrance wall of a Middle School in Wheaton BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  18. “Pillars” of the Bloomingdale gazebo BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  19. Banners on lampposts in Wood Dale BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  20. Student mural on civic Sports Hub wall - Glendale Hts. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  21. Annual vehicle stickers in Glendale Heights BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  22. “Pillars” on Police cars . . . BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  23. and “Pillars” on all village vehicles in Lombard BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  24. “Pillars” on walls of Village Council Chambers BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  25. Winning float in West Chicago Railroad Days Parade BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  26. West Chicago Youth Commission booth at festival BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  27. On-going Press Coverage (“good news”) BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  28. Aurora City limits sign BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Visible Reminders

  29. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSMeasurement and Evaluation Goal: To identify key indicators in each community and across the county that show that Character Development efforts are having an impact in the community. Process: • Determine scope of project and needed resources • Identify funding sources, request and receive funding • Identify and engage measurement expert • Establish measurement and evaluation process, tools and activities • Conduct study, analyze and communicate results.

  30. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSMeasurement and Evaluation Progress to date: • Reviewed other studies and developed a strategy • Received $152,000 for 3-year study • Engaged Dr. Matt Davidson to consult (CEP, ND, 4th&5th R’s) • Identified 4 ‘pilot’ communities • Conducted ‘focus groups’ to determine constructs Current Plans in Progress: • Develop school/community survey for Spring ‘02 • Collect archival data • Conduct survey, analyze data and communicate results • Action research: adjustable, long-term impact

  31. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCoalition Building Definition: • A Coalition is a diverse group of organizations and individuals who agree to work together to achieve a common goal. Principles: • Shared Vision • Shared Mission • Shared Responsibility • Multi-sector buy-in

  32. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCoalition Building • Define issue • Enroll ‘champions’ who are ambassadors • Map assets • Large enrollment • Create shared vision Process Steps: Elements of Success: • Efficient and effective meetings • Each member important • Opportunity to participate • Communication • Leadership • Quick wins

  33. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Organizing Initial Process Steps: • Determine the extent of current character education programs (schools? - anywhere else?) in your community (and neighboring communities). State mandate? School Improvement Plan? • Identify key organizations and individuals who might/should be interested - are there existing coalitions? • Identify a leadership group and obtain commitments • Discuss individually and then call a meeting to present importance, concepts, and possible organizational steps • Adopt a framework/core set of values • Conduct informational or training sessions.

  34. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Organizing • Teach • Enforce • Advocate • Model • Commitment • Consensus • Collaboration • Collect Data • Communication Year 1: Character T. E. A. M. Approach Year 2: Education • Explore • Engage • Excite • Expand • Evaluate From CHARACTER COUNTS!and Dr. Gary M. Smit, Superintendent of District 44, Lombard, IL

  35. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSCommunity Organizing Some Lessons Learned: • Convince key “thought leaders” on the need first • Develop database of people and organizations to reach • Form a diverse working Leadership Committee • Identify financial sources • Get a few people trained immediately • Anticipate and prepare to address any and all objections - including personal assessment and ‘whose values?’ • Include parents and media in all community meetings Community = Common, Communications, Connections

  36. BUILDING COMMUNITY-WIDE CHARACTER COALITIONSQuestions and Answers What questions do you have? (Remembering that we don’t have all the answers.) Call us at (630) 690-2998 Ken Fisher, Character Development Coalition Director Kfisher@aramarksvm.com

More Related