Abstract of Distinction: International Innovations in Community Prevention: Lessons Learned from the Adaptation and Implementation of the Communities That Care Preventive System in Five Countries Around the World

This Scientific Dialogue session brings together individuals representing five different countries that are implementing adapted version of the “Communities that Care” (CTC) prevention system: Australia, Chile, Colombia, Germany and Sweden. CTC is a community-wide preventive intervention aimed at promoting healthy youth development and preventing problem behaviors. It operates through five phases, including the development of local community coalitions, the assessment and prioritization of risk and protective factors, the selection of evidence-based programs that match local prevention needs, and their implementation with fidelity and reach. CTC was developed in the U.S., but has been adapted locally for use in several countries. In each country, CTC represents an innovation to how prevention had been previously approached. The group’s collective work has shown that what may be innovative about CTC can differ from one country to the next, depending on multiple local and cultural characteristics. The discussants in this roundtable represent five different countries spread across 4 continents, while also representing different affiliations (i.e., Universities, local governments, foundations and NGOs), including both the academic and the practitioner perspectives. The roundtable chair will also seek input and participation from the audience in order to create a productive and meaningful discussion.

Some of the guiding questions that the chair will pose to guide the discussion are: (1) Which has been the main innovation that the CTC system has contributed to community prevention work in your country? How does this innovation relate to the goals of the initiative? (2) Have you faced challenges related to “paradigm shifts” (for example, from “passive community assistance” to “community empowerment”) and how has this been approached? (3) How have you been able to work on long term processes? How do you achieve sustainability over time? (4) How has CTC been “received” by the local communities? (5) How have you approached the need for fidelity and flexibility/adaptation? Can these be compatible? (6) Which are the main tensions faced and lessons learned from CTC implementation in your country?

Issues related to implementation and translational science will be explored by focusing on the experiences of adapting and implementing CTC in these varied contexts.