Coalition Trip is a website with resources to help guide coalition members on a trip in using their greatest resources…. the assets already in their community. Coalition Trip provides tools to guide you through every step of the coalition process, whether it is starting a new coalition, continuing the path of the coalition work already in place, or joining an existing coalition near you. You will find checklists to accurately measure goals, and other vital assessment tools, such as community readiness assessments to gauge the level of community support behind initiatives, coalition maps to locate other groups seeking to make change in your area, and up-to-date data to inform new efforts being made in the community.

One way that Coalition Trip helps you to maneuver the process is by helping you to ask practical preliminary questions. You might be asking yourself:

Is a coalition the best choice for achieving the community’s goals?

How can we build strong community partnerships?

How do I learn more about the first steps to starting a coalition?

How can I secure funding to support the coalition’s goals?

How do we maintain a strong coalition from the start?

How do we extend the trip the coalition is on?

How do we handle roadblocks along the way?

How does the coalition journey come to end?

If starting a coalition is the right move for your community, the site is full of thorough explanations on the broad overarching aspects of coalition building, as well as the fine details alike to help you build strong community partnerships and lead effective meetings.

Coalition Trip was created to be an aid for community leaders in hopes that they would achieve success from the beginning, encouraging others to become involved because in the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Check out the coalition maps available to see what activity is already going on in your community that you can join. Don’t see your destination (coalition) on the map? Let us know so we can add your stop to the coalition map! Find out what local coalitions Purdue Extension are engaged with on the map here. Connect with coalitions in your community by visiting the Connections IN Health Coalition Map here.