Communities That Care

Communities That Care of Greater Downingtown (CTC) is a coalition of organizations, businesses, schools, faith communities, law enforcement and healthcare providers using evidence based prevention programs and policies to foster positive mental health and youth development. Through a Collective Impact Approach, CTC helps communities identify and implement changes that
can help students be successful at school, at home, and in
the community.

Community Action Plan

Our Collaborative Impact Process

Collective Impact is the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem at scale. There are five (5) elements of Collective Impact. They are as follows:

1 Common Agenda

All participants share a vision for change that includes a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving the problem through agreed-upon actions.

2 Mutually Reinforcing Activities

A diverse set of stakeholders, typically across sectors, coordinate a set of differentiated activities through a mutually reinforcing plan of action.

3 Backbone Infrastructure:

An independent, dedicated staff (with funding) guides the initiative’s vision and strategy, supports aligned activities, establishes shared measurement practices, builds public will, advances policy, and mobilizes resources.

4 Shared Measurement

All participants agree on how to measure and report on progress, with a short list of common indicators identified and used to drive learning and improvement.

5 Continuous Communication

All players engage in frequent and structured open communication to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and create common motivation.

Our Strategies

Education and Public Awareness

Increase access to information to reduce risk behaviors and increase protective factors related to substance use, abuse and mental health.

Support Parents and Strengthen Families

Increase opportunities to support families by engaging in school and community strategies targeting prevention, awareness and education.

Engage Youth in Prevention

Increase opportunities for youth engagement in awareness and advocacy to reduce risk behaviors and increase protective factors associated with substance use, abuse and mental health.

Opportunities/Rewards for Pro-Social Community Involvement

Co-create opportunities and environment that support health-promoting activities and relationships for youth to bond with community.