Milwaukee Brighter Futures 2009 Youth Survey

If you work with kids, have kids, or advocate for kids, you will want to read the Milwaukee Brighter Futures 2009 Youth Survey report.  Findings about safety and violence, tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use, sexual behavior, healthy behaviors, values, and attitudes are presented based on the responses of 335 youth participants in Brighter Futures programs.  The report pays special attention to gender differences, violence, and high risk sexual behavior.

This is a valuable snapshot of the issues facing Milwaukee’s youth – right now, right here.  You can access the report here Youth Survey 2009.  A PowerPoint summarizing key points in the survey is available here 2009 Youth Survey Presentation. 

Please contact me at jwilberg@wi.rr.com if you have questions or suggestions about the survey.

Measuring Collaboration

Yes, it’s true what the outcome fanatics say:  Everything IS measurable including the quality of your collaboration.

There are a lot of ways to assess how well a collaborative effort is progressing.  The two favorite measures are 1) the representativeness of the collaborative membership and 2) meeting attendance.  Of course these are valuable but, honestly, they just scratch the surface.

I’ve been using a survey instrument called “Working Together: A Profile of Collaboration” that was published in How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference, D. Chrislip and C. Larson (1994).  The survey includes questions in five key areas:

• Context
• Structure
• Members
• Process
• Results

I recently administered an online survey to members of the Waukesha County Drug Free Communities Coalition to assess the quality of their collaborative effort.   The results are being used to help the Collaborative plan its 3rd year of operation. 

Here’s a quick PowerPoint that presents the findings from the Waukesha DFC Collaboration Survey.  Waukesha Collaboration Report 

Note: Tessera Design is responsible for the great graphics on the PowerPoint.