ROLE OF THE SHI COORDINATOR SLIDES Slide 1: Role of SHI Coordinator So, what will your role be? Some of you may work in different capacities with schools: some directly with schools to facilitate the SHI process and others may serve to train people to use the SHI. In a moment, I am going to go over some of the key steps that you may be involved in. A strong coordinator can be pivotal in the success of the SHI. Throughout the process, the SHI coordinator is responsible for keeping the team motivated and focused on its goals. Team members may have other priorities, so it is important for the coordinator to maintain the team’s cohesiveness and encourage the team members to implement their proposed actions. (Cove image of SHI) Slide 2: Role of SHI Coordinator Some functions of the SHI coordinator are to (1) help gain administrative buy-in (2) assist the school in developing a SHI team, (3) secure time to work on the SHI, (4) facilitate the team through the SHI process, (5) follow-up with the implementation of the SHI action plan, and (6) provide support and resources. The tasks will vary depending on the situation and the way in which you are working with schools, but let’s go over some of these key concepts. Slide 3: (1) Administrative buy-in First of all, administrative buy-in is essential to the SHI process. In order to get support for the process, you need to know how to make the case for the SHI. Slide 4: Making the Case So how do you go about making the case for the SHI? (Co-facilitators use Making the Case role-playing script to demonstrate the scenario. If only one facilitator is present, ask for a volunteer from the audience.) Slide 5: Administrative buy-in If possible, it is very important to gain administrative support both for the SHI process and for implementing changes in writing. Make sure to get the support before the SHI process begins. This support may come from the school principal, assistant principal, the superintendent, or other leaders in your school community. Slide 6: (2) Assemble a SHI team Next, you can help the school assemble a SHI team. Slide 7: Who are potential team members? Who are potential members of a school health team for implementing the SHI? Think about people who Have an interest in youth. Consider people who work with youth groups, parent-teacher organizations, boys and girls clubs, Scouts, and other youth organizations. Understand the community. Think about people who have an understanding of the cultural, political, geographic, and economic structure of the community. Have professional ability. Individuals with professional training in youth-related disciplines can be valuable team members. Are willing to devote time. Make sure to communicate to members of the team the time commitment involved. No matter what a person’s qualifications and interest in youth, if she or he will not attend meetings and participate in the work of the team, it is usually better not to have that person as a member. Have credibility. Select people who are respected by their peers. The team’s credibility is enhanced considerably by the personal characteristics of its members. Are representative of the population. Membership should be as broad and diverse as possible. Representing as many segments of the community as possible can enrich the team’s level of discussion and acceptance of proposed activities. Slide 8: Key School Representatives Key school representatives include students; administrators; health coordinators; health education teachers; physical education teachers; other teachers from a variety of levels and disciplines; health service providers; counseling, psychological, and social services providers; nutrition services staff; school site health promotion staff; and other school staff (e.g., custodians, bus drivers, media specialists, aides). Slide 9: Key Community Representatives Key community representatives include school boards; parents (e.g., representatives of parent-teacher-student groups); faith communities; businesses (e.g., Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, major employers, agriculture and industry); voluntary health organizations (e.g., American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, American Heart Association); youth-serving organizations (e.g., Boys and Girls Club); health care (e.g., hospitals, clinics, public health, physicians, nurse practitioners); mental health (e.g., counseling centers, substance abuse, social workers); social services (e.g., welfare, housing); local and county government; recreation (e.g., Parks Department, YMCA, health clubs); law enforcement (e.g., community policing, school safety officers); pre-school programs (e.g., Head Start, nursery schools); elderly (e.g., senior citizens centers); and media. Slide 10: Remember—leadership takes many forms! It is important to remember that leadership can come in many forms. For example, leaders for the SHI team are not just people with expertise in schools (e.g., superintendents, principals), but also people who have real-life experience with kids and schools (e.g., parents). Leaders are people who have charisma, connections, expertise, fame and visibility, integrity and credibility, life experiences, persuasive ability, position, or resources. Be creative when thinking about who to invite to be a part of your SHI team. Slide 11: (3) Secure time for the team Once you’ve helped the school assemble the team, try to obtain protected time for the team to work together. School health teams have often found that having a dedicated chunk of time for this process is the most effective way to have a rich discussion and create plans for the future. Slide 12: Try to get protected time for the team Some schools have requested portions of existing meetings to get time to work on the SHI. Talk to administrators about the possibility of using a professional development day or a teacher workday to focus on the SHI. If you are unable to secure the entire day, consider using a half-day to first walk through the self-assessment modules, and then set up another meeting to discuss the planning process. Other meeting times that schools have used include: staff meetings, after-school meetings, or meetings of parent-teacher organizations. Slide 13: (4) Facilitation Another important component of the planning process is good facilitation. The identity of the person who coordinates the SHI process in schools often varies. Many schools have found that having an unbiased, outside school facilitator works very well. Some of you may serve in this capacity. People who can function as good outside facilitators may be a professor from a local university, a health educator or volunteer from a community-based health organization, or a graduate student. Because they are removed from school politics, outside facilitators can be more neutral and help the team members deal with conflicts. Slide 14: Facilitation Tips During teamwork, it is important to recognize the difference of others and be respectful of them without letting one person dominate. Make sure to involve everyone in the group. A good facilitator keeps the goals of the task in mind and reminds the group of the goals when they digress. Organization and time management will help the team stay focused and maximize its efficiency. Slide 15: Facilitation Tips It is important for a facilitator to remain impartial and to function as a resource to the group, not a participant. Facilitators should model good communication skills, such as paraphrasing and reflective listening (i.e., repeating back what is said), and open and neutral body language. You may want to give team members tasks to be responsible for (e.g., time keeper, recorder, reporter). This increases involvement, accountability, and productivity. Have the group reflect on what they’ve accomplished and remind them what they still need to accomplish. Slide 16: (5) Follow-up Once the SHI self-assessment and planning process is complete, your work is far from done. It is important to maintain regular communication with the school health team to follow-up on its progress. Slide 17: Follow-up Don’t take on the universe in one year!!! Make sure the school has selected a MANAGEABLE number of changes for the school year Slide 18: Follow-up Monitor the school’s progress in implementing action plans. Consider setting up meetings or conference calls to assess progress. Celebrate successes! Make sure to recognize the strides that have been made. Plan for a reassessment. Schedule it in advance, and remind the team of the need for a reassessment after one year. Slide 19: (6) Provide support and resources The coordinator is responsible for keeping the team motivated and focused on their goals. Team members may have other priorities, so it is important for the coordinator to maintain the cohesiveness of the team and encourage them to implement its goals. Throughout the process, it is important for the SHI coordinator to be available to assist the school health team in finding resources to implement their actions. There is a wealth of information on guidelines, success stories, lessons learned, key strategies, free materials and much more listed in the SHI Resources section. You can also help the team by searching for financial resources that may be available from federal, state, or local entities, or from local businesses. Consider looking into community agencies that may be willing to donate time, space, or staff to projects your school would like to do. Slide 20: Role of SHI Coordinator Let’s review some of the key functions of the SHI Coordinator. The Coordinator should help gain administrative buy-in, assist the school in developing a team, help secure a time for the team to work on the SHI, facilitate the team through the SHI process, follow up with the implementation of the action plan, and provide support and resources. Remember: a strong coordinator can be pivotal in the success of the SHI.