Part A - Society for Public Health Education

One or more vision statements should articulate the coalition’s ideal end-state. Thenumber of vision statements is not important. What is most important is that thestatements together give a holistic view of the coalition. There are certain characteristicsthat most vision statements have in common:• Easily understood and shared by members of the community• Broad enough to include diverse local perspectives• Inspiring and uplifting to everyone involved in the anti-meth effort• Written in the present tense.• Easy to communicate—for example, the statements are generally shortenough to fit on a T-shirt.Tips for Facilitating the Development of a Vision Statement• Remind the group that it often takes several vision statements to fullycapture the dreams of those involved in the coalition. Encourage people tosuggest all of their ideas. Write them down—possibly on poster paper at thefront of the room—so the ideas can further inspire people. As you do this,help everyone keep in mind the reality of the meth problem in the community,the focus of the coalition, and the purpose of vision statements.© 2007 Society for Public Health Education• After the group has brainstormed ideas, members can critically discussthem. Oftentimes, several of the vision statements will jump out at thegroup—someone will suggest it, and people will just instantly think, “That’sit!” To help the group identify which ideas will become vision statements,you can have the group ask themselves the following questions about eachstated idea: (1) Will it draw people to common work? (2) Does it give hopefor a better future? (3) Will it inspire community members to realize theirdreams through positive, effective action? (4) Does it provide a basis fordeveloping the other aspects of a strategic plan (e.g., mission, objectives, andstrategies)?• Have coalition members discuss and decide how to use the vision statements.A few examples are to (1) add them to the coalition’s letterhead orstationery; (2) use them on the coalition’s Web site; (3) give away T-shirts,bookmarks, or other small gifts with statements on them; (4) add them tothe coalition’s press kit; (5) use them when giving interviews; or (6) displaythem on the cover of coalition publications.Part A: An Educational Toolkit for Health Educators73