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The Technical Assistance Program focused on the Grantees at the community level--providing them with assistance to improve their capacity and effectively manage their grants. The technical assistance (TA) provider surveyed and assessed the strengths and resources of each wellness village and community wellness enhancement projects. Through group training, one-on-one coaching, linkage with other resources, and infusion of information to address stated needs, the technical assistance provider partnered with each lead agency to achieve results.

Goal:

Assist wellness villages and CWEPs with improving their capacity and effectively managing their programs.

Objectives:

• Conduct an assessment of TA needs of each of the wellness villages and CWEP grantees.
• Develop workplans and training curricula and assist the wellness villages and CWEP Grantees in implementing specific strategies to meet the technical assistance needs.
• Participate as a member of the Initiative coordination team.

Accomplishments:

• Technical assistance efforts resulted in more efficient progress in the wellness villages’ program implementation and evaluation efforts. Wellness villages have stated in their progress reports that they valued the support of the TA providers.
• Coaching assisted wellness villages in becoming a learning community. The TA provider coordinated and facilitated monthly “coaching” calls among wellness village adult project leaders and staff. Through peer learning, participants took advantage of knowledge and resources of the entire group, supporting and coaching one another as much as possible.
• Site-specific technical assistance and training focused on strengthening programmatic and organizational infrastructure and specific program-related activities provided to each of the wellness villages. Regional trainings focused on improving communication and presentation skills of youth and adult wellness village members; on fundraising; and on staff, board and volunteer development.

Challenges:

• During the initial stages, the TA provider was challenged by how they were perceived by the wellness villages. The TA provider was forced to overcome the perception that they were the “eyes and ears” of the Foundation.
• Wellness villages did not take advantage of “coaching” during the initial stages of the implementation phase. Most of the wellness villages were unfamiliar with the coaching concept and did not treat it as a priority. Various staff members would sit in on coaching calls, creating inconsistency in this technical assistance strategy. As time progressed, Grantees began to view these calls as an opportunity where participants learn from and support each other through problems and concerns.
• The level of attention and responsiveness of the TA providers was not always consistent. “Squeaky wheels” got the attention, while wellness villages that were less vocal with their needs received less assistance.
• Staff turnover at the wellness villages was a barrier in building capacity and created a challenge for the TA providers because retraining new staff slowed the progress of several wellness villages.

Lessons Learned:

• Technological improvements are essential in developing and strengthening organizations and communities. Improved organizational and individual capacity will last longer in the community than grant funds. Access to telephones, fax machines, the Internet and state of the art computers allowed communities to maintain up-to-date communication networks, as well as assist with operations, research and planning.
• Wellness villages appreciated the principles of TA. Instead of giving them “fish,” the technical assistance providers taught the wellness villages “how to fish.” Improved organizational and individual capacity will last longer in the community than grant funds.
• Investing in youth and adult partnerships is worthwhile and helps to build capacity within the wellness village. Adult and youth partnerships are difficult to achieve and frequently require training, technical assistance and coaching to foster mutually respectful environments and understanding to achieve community health goals.
• Adults also required training to better understand the transformation that was occurring with youth. Initially, it was assumed that only youth would require training.
• Cultural competency of the technical assistance providers is important. Providers needed to fully understand the unique history, environment and context in which each wellness village was operating.
• Technical assistance must be targeted and consistent to ensure effectiveness. Through technical assistance as well as resident involvement, communities and organizations were strengthened. As a result, new understandings about how to approach and implement youth development and community building strategies were reached as a result.
• Technical assistance providers with competencies in resident-driven community health program development need to be developed. The growth of technical assistance organizations capable of working at the community level has not kept pace with the availability of funds and the proliferation of community-based organizations in California.