Community Organizing for Prevention | Injury & Violence Prevention Center

Community Organizing for Prevention Evaluation

Overview

The Injury & Violence Prevention Center was contracted by the Violence and Injury Prevention - Mental Health Promotion Branch at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to provide technical assistance in evaluation and to conduct the statewide evaluation of Community Organizing for Prevention (COFP) from 2021-2026. The objectives of the statewide evaluation are to understand how the core components of COFP are being implemented and changing over time and to understand what impact these changes have on risk and protective factors and long-term outcomes in communities in Colorado.

Community Organizing for Prevention (COFP) is a statewide initiative that takes an upstream, primary prevention approach to reducing substance misuse and violence among youth through a shared risk and protective factors approach rooted in deep equity and systems change. From 2021-2026, 34 communities in Colorado are organizing for prevention, with representation in rural and urban areas, from the Eastern Plains across the Rocky Mountains to the Western Slope.

COFP builds on the Communities That Care (CTC) model, which was implemented in 46 Colorado communities between 2016-2021. In that initiative, communities made substantial progress building coalitions with strong operational capacity, grew youth and community membership, collaborated across agencies and sectors, created community action plans, integrated equitable approaches into their efforts, and laid the foundation for successful systems change.

Vision

A future where all people and communities across Colorado are healthy and thriving.

Mission

We conduct evaluation and build local capacity to advance equitable systems changes and primary prevention efforts so that people and communities across Colorado can be healthy and thriving.

Values

Equity and anti-racism

To build healthy and thriving communities, systemic inequities and injustices must be addressed. We are committed to combating systems of oppression, including white supremacy culture, to advance equity in our evaluation and prevention science efforts.

Community Collaboration

We work as partners and collaborators with communities across Colorado to amplify and celebrate local strengths, skills, and expertise.

Scientific Rigor

In our work, we center equity and help build community capacity in evaluation. We acknowledge the values and limitations of existing research, and we recognize that data, while having the power to influence decisions, is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to finding local solutions.