Contemplating
At this stage you are thinking about collaborating with other organizations. You have potential partners in mind, but you have not approached them.
What This Stage Looks Like
- You are discussing each potential partner’s goals.
- You are learning about each other’s strengths.
- You are learning to trust each other.
- You are considering each other’s priorities.
How to Move to the Next Stage
- Build trust through small wins.
- Take time to understand your partners’ context.
- Use key champions, friends, and allies to build relationships.
- Identify opportunities to support each other’s goals.
Examples from the Field
Take time to understand each other’s context.
The Pyramid Lake Tribal Health Clinic (PTH), a tribal Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) grantee, oversees the Sumunumu Program, a substance abuse prevention program funded by the Indian Health Service’s Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative (MSPI). When the GLS coordinator started working at PTH, she was assigned to work with the substance abuse coordinator.
Monica Atlookan, Project Director (0:42)
Use key champions, friends, and allies to build relationships.
The Kentucky State GLS grant coordinator used her extensive relationships from previous work in the substance abuse field to open doors with her former colleagues regarding suicide prevention.
Patti Clark, Grant Coordinator (0:42)
Identify opportunities to support each other’s goals.
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Campus GLS grantee built connections with various campus departments by sharing suicide prevention resources that were responsive to each department’s unique context.
Shelly Rutz Maxwell, GLS Grant Project Director (0:35)
Team Readiness, a National Guard program, is a comprehensive worksite prevention training program that addresses risk factors associated with suicide, sexual assault, and substance abuse. The program was able to bridge suicide prevention and substance abuse prevention efforts by looking for ways to advance both disciplines.