Blended Conscientisation Methods Uncover Structural Roots of Individualized Problems

Coalition Building

Issues

Coalition Building

Coalitions are alliances built to address certain issues or pursue tangible goals. Community Psychologists study the ways in which community-based coalitions are formed as well as characteristics of successful coalitions that can be replicated.

Photograph used with permission from the author.

Touchy Topics Tuesday: An Interracial Dialogue Program Promotes Understanding

Posted in: Anti-Racism, Coalition Building | Tags: Featured Research
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
TTT participants engaged in behavioral shifts that can impact the racially segregated status quo. By understanding what motivates people to engage in groups like TTT, we can learn how to bring more people into discussion about racial justice.

Resisting State Sanctioned Violence: A Toolkit for Community Organizers

Posted in: Coalition Building, Marginalized Groups
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
Marginalized communities have long persisted in the work toward liberation despite continued state-sanctioned violence (SSV). We created a toolkit for organizers, community members, allies, and mental health professionals who want to build individual and community resilience while resisting SSV. We aimed to support marginalized communities through making psychological literature accessible and relevant to community-based through […]

Improving Mental Health in Rural Youth

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Coalition Building, Mental Health
This project and study incorporate community members and students into a decision-making process to guide community-level mental health interventions for youth. The CBPR method encourages agency and decision-making power. Community involvement may lead to greater community connectedness.

Creating the Most Effective Collaborative Infrastructure

Posted in: Coalition Building, Criminal Justice, Violence Prevention
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
While infrastructures can improve teams’ relationships and work, some are difficult to implement. SARTs could first focus on infrastructures that build trust and buy-in before adopting other accountability-focused infrastructures. Improving SART infrastructures can help promote SART collaboration and thereby improve survivors’ experiences.

A Note from the Field: Using Community Psychology to Reclaim Urban Green Space

Posted in: Coalition Building
A controversial urban project in Sao Paulo, Brazil was re-located through community-based power. With support, communities can influence public decisions.

Community Resilience: More Supports, More Impact

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Coalition Building, Marginalized Groups
Published in: The American Psychologist
Most adults report at least one ACE and ACEs disproportionally impact marginalized communities. Supporting community resilience helps promote child development within families, peer groups, schools, and communities.

Logic Model of FAI Services including empowerment, crisis intervention, and safety.

Supporting Community-Based DV Services Through Academic Collaboration

Posted in: Coalition Building, Marginalized Groups
Published in: Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice
Interventions to reduce negative effects of domestic violence are highly context dependent. Latina DV survivors face unique socio-cultural barriers when seeking services. Community-based resources can be supported by collaborative academic partnerships to strengthen the evaluation component of the work.

Prepare for Action

Posted in: Coalition Building
Published in: The Community Psychologist
As a field Community Psychology has identified how structural inequities and lack of resources yield systemic wellbeing disparities. Change is occurring through COVID-19.

Community-Academic Partnerships: Learning Even More During COVID-19

Posted in: Coalition Building, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status
Community/Academic partnerships can serve marginalized communities by mobilizing resources in areas where health care access is otherwise unavailable. However, relationship-building can be difficult with consideration to power differentials. Integrating community-based participatory principles into partnerships has strong potential to demonstrate a sustainable network.

Photograph of people sitting in a circle in Indonesia

Blended Conscientisation Methods Uncover Structural Roots of Individualized Problems

Posted in: Coalition Building, Marginalized Groups, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status
Current development work can strengthen oppression and sustain de-humanisation. High levels of anxiety, shame, and hopelessness encourage dependency on existing power structures rather than collective action. Feelings of insecurity can point to a wider structural colonisation.