COMMUNITY
MOBILIZATION |
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| Stage 1: Initiating |
| The focus during this stage is on people coming together to address suicide as a common concern. They join together and become engergized by the need to prevent suicide. They are motivated by a commitment to bring about lasting change that will contribute to and support the health and well being of all those who live in the community. |
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| Stage 2: Readiness |
| During this stage of mobilization, the focus is on creating a group identity among people concerned about suicide prevention and establishing effective group decision-making; developing vision and mission statements to promote a sense of purpose and to plan for change; and making an assessment of the community's readiness to begin to take action.
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Stage 3: Assessment |
| The focus during this stage is on getting a detailed and accurate picture of what is actually happening in the community related to suicide prevention. Doing so helps mobilize community support and investment, uses current conditions as an integral part of the planning process, and provides the baseline data for evaluating the work that will be done. |
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Stage 4: Planning |
| This is the stage when the group of stakeholders leads the community in developing a suicide prevention plan to address the priority needs and fill the gaps identified through the community assessment. Planning helps you to move from where you are as a community now to where you want to be as a community in the future. |
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Stage 5: Implementation |
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This stage is when the suicide prevention plan becomes operational and concrete action is taken on the strategies and programs that have been developed. Community partners begin to understand and fulfill their roles and responsibilities; training is delivered to those who need it; progress is monitored; and program outcomes are evaluated. |
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Stage 6: Sustaining |
| In the end, suicide prevention can be successful only through a sustained effort. Funding is an important component of this stage of mobilization, but true sustainability is about long-term change, which requires stakeholders to maintain their focus and momentum even when implementation falters, outcomes take longer than expected, and resources become scarce. |
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The links on this page are to the Southwest Prevention Center's "Community Mobilization for Prevention," a web-based guide that provides a practical starting place for any community that wants to organize a response to suicide. The center's CMP web-based tool can be helpful to citizens, caregivers, and stakeholders interested in advancing a comprehensive prevention initiative in their community.
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