Regional Coalition
How Are We Doing?

Executive Summary
Section 1 - Background
Overview of the Heart Health Project
Literature Review
History of the Regional Coalition
Section 2--Results of the Story Sharing Exercise
Results
Discussion


EXECUTIVESUMMARY--"HOW ARE WE DOING"

Background

This report presents the results of a story sharing exercise and a questionnaire completed by members of the Heart Health Regional Coalition in the spring and summer of 1998. The purpose of these two activities was to give members of the Regional Coalition an opportunity to reflect on their experiences working on the Heart Health Regional Coalition in the Western Health Region of Nova Scotia and to think about how the work of the partnership has had an impact on either them personally or the organization which they represent. The results of the story sharing exercise and questionnaire provide insights into coalition development and functioning, and organizational capacity building, which are key components of the dissemination research phase of Heart Health Nova Scotia.

Coalitions are made up of organizations, groups and agencies that come together to work on a common goal (Dulhy, 1990). Coalitions and partnerships offer potential opportunities and benefits for participating members and can serve as the linking system in community mobilization efforts such as that being used in the Heart Health project (Orlandi et al., 1990). Through a commitment to work on a common goal, coalitions provide a "vehicle for a comprehensive, community-wide approach to address multiple risk factors at both individual and broader environmental levels" (Florin et al., 1993). Organizations on the Heart Health Regional Coalition have come together to share knowledge, skills and resources to build organizational and community capacity for health promotion/heart health dissemination. The Coalition is, therefore, serving as a "vehicle" for building heart health promotion capacity within organizations and for the dissemination of heart health initiatives (programs, policies and environmental supports). The purpose of the current study is to assess the Heart Health Regional Coalition's development and functioning and to consider whether the Coalition is helping to build organizational commitment and capacity for heart health promotion.

Members of the Heart Health Regional Coalition came together in the early part of 1997. The mission of the Coalition is: To work with communities and individuals in discovering and using effective ways to improve the heart health of Nova Scotians. The coalition is made up of over 20 organizations including volunteer groups, non-profit organizations, community groups, and government agencies. Over the past 18 months, members have attended 16 Coalition meetings. Initial development work of the Coalition included a visioning exercise; development of values, terms of reference and a mission; and establishment of four Working Groups--Research, Community Activation, Knowledge and Skills, and Communication and Awareness. Each Working Group has established goals and objectives to help the Coalition achieve its mission.

Story Sharing

A story sharing workshop was conducted with members of the Heart Health Regional Coalition on May 11th, 1998. Members shared their stories around the theme, tell a story about what your involvement on the Heart Health Coalition has meant to you. The stories provided insights into coalition development and functioning and organizational capacity building.

The method used for sharing the stories is explained in a handbook by Ron Labonte and Joan Feather called, Handbook on Using Stories in Health Promotion Practice. This method has also been used by other groups in the Western region, including the Community Health Promotion Network Atlantic (CHPNA, 1997) who adapted Labonte and Feather's approach. Story sharing allows individuals to share their personal experiences with their peers. The process then allows insights to be written from each story and grouped in themes by the participants of the exercise. This ensures that the personal views and opinions of each individual are presented in a way that is meaningful to them. The process ends with the completion of a report written from the insights which have been grouped into like-themes.

The Story Sharing exercise identified matters related to coalition functioning and organizational issues which were further explored in a questionnaire completed by all Regional Coalition members. This process provided insights into what involvement on the Coalition has meant to members and the organizations which they represent. Members also had the opportunity to reflect on more general issues such as the process of community activation, challenges of research, and partnership building.

When considering coalition development and functioning, story sharing was thought to be an effective way of allowing members to reflect on their own experiences and share their personal thoughts with their peers. Together the group was able to further analyze their experiences and develop a deeper understanding of the development and functioning of the Regional Coalition. In addition, the stories provided insights not only into the development and functioning of the coalition, but also revealed facilitators and challenges to personal and organizational capacity building efforts. Members have had the opportunity to work with new individuals and networking between organizations has increased. In addition, some have increased their understanding of health promotion, research, and the process of community activation. Finally, the process of story sharing allowed Coalition members to tell their stories in a familiar medium, thereby, creating a comfortable environment where individuals felt free to share. The story sharing process is dynamic and the insights generated by the group have created a reflective environment and will shape the future work of the Coalition. This process engaged Coalition members in the research and has enhanced dialogue among members. The issues related to both coalition functioning and organizational involvement which were identified by the story sharing exercise were addressed on the Coalition Functioning Questionnaire. The questionnaire allowed members of the Coalition to further reflect on their involvement. As the Coalition continues to grow and develop, the insights generated in this report will help shape future directions and will ensure a reflective environment where the Coalition is continuously assessing its successes and challenges.

Coalition Questionnaire

The purpose of the questionnaire was to give members of the Regional Coalition an opportunity to further reflect on their experiences working on the Heart Health Regional Coalition and to think about how the work of the partnership has had an impact on either them personally or the organization which they represent. Specifically, members were asked to reflect on issues related to member involvement, communication, values, meeting logistics, participation, decision making, meeting environment, personal satisfaction, leadership, staffing, and organizational involvement and change.

The results of the questionnaire indicate that the Coalition is functioning well and most feel that the Coalition provides a safe and comfortable environment for members. Respondents offered several suggestions to further strengthen how the Coalition operates. For example, suggestions for improving communication and decision making were offered which will help the Coalition as it continues its work. It appears that most Coalition members have gained knowledge and skills and networking opportunities as a result of their involvement in the Coalition. However, capacity building has occurred to a lesser extent within organizations and some Coalition members appear to need greater support for their work on the Coalition from within their organization. Over the next two and a half years the Coalition can work to strengthen member organization capacity for heart health promotion. Reports on organizational capacity currently being completed by the Research Working Group will be the basis for the development of this capacity. This information will be used by both the Knowledge and Skills Working Group and the organizations on the Regional Coalition as they work together to build commitment and capacity for heart health promotion within the Western Health Region of Nova Scotia.


SECTION 1--BACKGROUND


INTRODUCTION

This report presents the results of a story sharing exercise and questionnaire completed by members of the Heart Health Regional Coalition in the spring and summer of 1998. The purpose of these two activities was to give members of the Regional Coalition an opportunity to reflect on their experiences working on the Heart Health Regional Coalition and to think about how the work of the partnership has had an impact on either them personally or the organization which they represent. The results of the story sharing and questionnaire provide insights into coalition development and functioning, and organizational capacity building, which are key components of the dissemination research phase of Heart Health Nova Scotia. The information is presented in four sections. The first section provides background information about the Regional Coalition and overall project. The second and third sections present the results of the Story Sharing exercise and the questionnaire. Finally, the last section outlines recommendations developed by the Regional Coalition based on the findings of the two data collection strategies.

OVERVIEW OF THE HEART HEALTH PROJECT

Heart Health Nova Scotia, a member of the Canadian Heart Health Initiative, is funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Health Canada via the National Health Research and Development Program (NHRDP). The Dissemination Research Phase is funded over a five year period, 1996-2001, and is being conducted in the Western Health Region of Nova Scotia. This region encompasses 7 counties (Kings, Annapolis, Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens, and Lunenburg) and has a population of approximately 211,000.

In its Dissemination Research Phase, Heart Health Nova Scotia is focussing on community and/or organizational factors that are essential for heart health promotion to occur. We are not seeking simply to disseminate a package of innovations into an ongoing social and health system, but instead are studying the factors which contribute to and facilitate fundamental change in the way the system attempts to incorporate heart health promotion initiatives. The program goal is to support organizations and communities to promote heart health in western Nova Scotia while the research goal is to explore how organizations and communities can work together to promote heart health in western Nova Scotia. The overall research question is: Is enhancing organizational capacity, through coalitions, an effective mechanism for the dissemination of heart health programs, policies and processes? Based on this question, research is being conducted in three main areas including: organizational and community capacity for heart health promotion, coalition development and functioning, and community activation. The following report presents information related to coalition development and functioning, and organizational involvement/change, gathered through a story sharing exercise and questionnaire.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Coalitions are made up of organizations, groups and agencies that come together to work on a common goal (Dulhy, 1990). Coalitions and partnerships offer potential opportunities and benefits for participating members and can serve as the linking system in community mobilization efforts such as that being used in the Heart Health project (Orlandi et al., 1990). Through commitment to work on a common goal, coalitions provide a "vehicle for a comprehensive, community-wide approach to address multiple risk factors at both individual and broader environmental levels" (Florin et al., 1993). Organizations on the Heart Health Regional Coalition have come together to share knowledge, skills and resources to build organizational and community capacity for health promotion/heart health dissemination. The Coalition is therefore serving as a "vehicle" for building heart health promotion capacity within organizations and for the dissemination of heart health initiatives (programs, policies and environmental supports).

Coalitions provide a number of potential advantages to those who participate. Several important contributions coalitions provide in helping to solve health and social problems include (Butterfoss et al., 1993):

  1. enabling organizations to become involved in new and broader issues without having the sole responsibility for managing or developing those issues;
  2. demonstrating and developing widespread public support for issues;
  3. maximizing power of individuals and groups through joint action;
  4. minimizing duplication of services;
  5. mobilizing more resources and talents to influence an issue than any single organization could achieve alone;
  6. providing an avenue for recruiting participants from diverse constituencies, such as political, business, human service, social and religious groups, as well as less organized grassroots groups and individuals;
  7. discovering new resources in changing situations. Coalitions have also been credited with facilitating the development of health promotion and leadership skills within communities (Schwartz et al., 1993; Clark et al., 1993; Flynn et al., 1994). These skills build problem solving capacity within communities to more effectively address and solve community concerns.
  8. improving trust and communication between organizations, particularly those that would normally compete with one another.
Factors associated with coalition development and functioning (Butterfoss et al., 1993) include:
  1. formalized rules and procedures;
  2. strong central leadership;
  3. benefits that out-weigh costs of participation;
  4. shared decision making; and
  5. community linkages.


Coalitions are a popular strategy for ensuring broad community participation in health promotion initiatives (Kegler at al., 1998; Fawcett et al., 1997). Coalitions have been used for a number of years to address social problems, most notably advocacy coalitions and neighborhood associations. Community-based coalitions where professionals and citizens join forces to address public health concerns are most often used in health promotion. The purpose of the current study is to assess the Heart Health Regional Coalition's development and functioning and to consider whether the Coalition is helping to build organizational commitment and capacity for heart health promotion.

HISTORY OF THE REGIONAL COALITION

Members of the Heart Health Regional Coalition came together in the early part of 1997. The mission of the Coalition is: To work with communities and individuals in discovering and using effective ways to improve the heart health of Nova Scotians. The coalition is made up of over 20 organizations including volunteer groups, non-profit organizations, community groups, and government agencies. Over the past 18 months, members have attended sixteen Coalition meetings. Initial development work of the Coalition included a visioning exercise; development of values, terms of reference and a mission; and establishment of four Working Groups - Research, Community Activation, Knowledge and Skills, and Communication and Awareness. Each Working Group has established goals and objectives to help the Coalition achieve its mission.

A great deal has been accomplished by the Regional Coalition and its associated Working Groups in the first 18 months of operation. The findings from the story sharing and questionnaire provided members with information about both coalition functioning and organizational involvement/change issues. The Regional Coalition reflected on the results of both the story sharing and the questionnaire at a Coalition meeting. Coalition members identified the major issues to be addressed and discussed strategies to deal with these issues. The information from this exercise was the basis for formulating recommendations presented in the final section of this report.


SECTION 2 - RESULTS OF STORY SHARING EXERCISE

OVERVIEW

Introduction

This section presents the results of a story sharing workshop completed with members of the Heart Health Regional Coalition on May 11th, 1998. Members shared their stories around the theme, tell a story about what your involvement on the Heart Health Coalition has meant to you. The stories provided insights into coalition development and functioning and organizational capacity building which are key components of the research.

Prior to the workshop, letters were sent out to all Regional Coalition members asking them to prepare a story around the planned theme. Members were provided with guidelines for writing their story, as well as a sample story. The workshop was facilitated by a staff person from Public Health Services, who was not a member of the Regional Coalition. The workshop included a process for sharing stories in small groups, a semi-structured questioning process to promote reflection and generate insights from the stories, the grouping of like themes/concepts, and finally the writing of group insights.

Included in the appendix, with permission from the authors, are the stories shared by the Coalition members. In addition, some members of the Coalition, who were unable to share a story during the meeting, have also included one for the final report. However, it should be noted that insights from these stories are not reflected in this report and they are included for personal interest and reflection.

Process for Story Sharing

The method used for sharing the stories is explained in a handbook by Ron Labonte and Joan Feather called, Handbook on Using Stories in Health Promotion Practice. This method has also been used by other groups in the Western region, including the Community Health Promotion Network Atlantic (CHPNA, 1997) who adapted Labonte and Feather's approach. Story sharing allows individuals to share their personal experiences and opinions with their peers. The process then allows insights to be written from each story and grouped in themes by the participants of the exercise. This ensures that the personal views and opinions of each individual are presented in a way that is meaningful to them. The process ends with the completion of a report written from the insights which have been grouped into like-themes. As stated by Labonte and Feather:

The workshop began with a brief introduction and explanation of what is involved in the story sharing workshop. The participants then shared their stories and group members reflected on each story. Questions to consider during reflection were provided in a hand-out (Appendix B). During this dialogue participants recorded their insights - what the person had learned and/or how the experiences of the particular individual were similar or different from their own. The insights were grouped into themes and summaries were written for each theme.

Central to the process of story sharing is the creation of a safe environment in which to share one's story. At the time of the story sharing workshop, members of the Heart Health Regional Coalition had been working together for over a year. Therefore, they were familiar with one another and a level of trust had been developed. This allowed people to feel more comfortable in talking about their experiences as a member of the Coalition.

RESULTS

The Themes

Members of the Coalition grouped the insights from their stories into seven major themes . The first theme has several sub-themes related to what makes an effective coalition. Benefits of being a coalition member emerged as a second major theme. The remaining themes focus on broader issues and focus on the process of change within organizations and communities, organizational environment and how it relates to the project, principles of and support for community activation, the challenges of research, and partnership building. The summaries of these themes were completed by members of the Regional Coalition as part of the story sharing process and have not been altered. Along the right side of the page, quotations from the stories illustrate the themes

What makes an effective coalition?

Establishing values and vision

For the planning process, it is important to have visions/values clearly articulated. In bringing people together and developing a vision, it is important to keep everything in perspective. Collaboration is valued when the process continues and actions result. In order to do values/visioning we need to have trust in the process. The "process" (e.g., values, visioning, etc.) is so important and yet can be frustrating as people want to move to action. It is difficult to envision how things will turn out. This, however, can be fascinating to see how the puzzle will unfold. They are pieces of a puzzle - a puzzle that needs to be solved. 

The process of collaboration takes patience, time, vision, and energy; but can bring together people from a variety of organizations to share ideas, experiences and beliefs to effect change.

...groups need to participate in a planning process and have a clear purpose, goals and objectives.
 
 
 
 
 

Without a common vision and philosophy and a clear understanding of expectations, the project could easily become derailed.

Recognition and valuing of individuals

It is important that people feel valued as individuals: when group members feel valued by the others in the group during the process they will want to continue to participate and return to subsequent meetings. 

It has been recognized that what we value are friendly, supportive colleagues and the opportunity to get to know one another better. 

A key to moving a project along to a successful completion requires taking the time to pay attention to the group members and their needs. 

When working in groups, people get a chance to contribute as well as to learn skills. When group members feel they and their contributions are being valued, they are more willing to trust the process. Involving Regional Coalition members in the planning engages them in the process from the beginning. It is also important that the members leave their "personal agendas" at the door. When members are committed to a group, they are involved in a relationship that should not be taken for granted at any time; the group must be supportive to the individuals and in turn each individual must be committed to the group and the process. 

Finally, by having "fun," people will keep coming back! 

Establishing language understood by all

Often people get involved with groups and find there is a confusing array of terminology and jargon being used. This can lead to frustration which may lead people to opt out of the discussions. In order for the coalition members to feel comfortable to speak, there needs to be a conscious decision as a group to talk in language that is understood by all. 


 

...individuals need to feel valued and that they are doing something of value. 
 
 

The Regional Coalition continues to illustrate to me how you can have fun and still get the work done and it may be a key factor in why people continue to participate. 
 
 

I also knew that it would be fun, interesting and challenging. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The first few meetings I struggled with a confusing array of terms and a large amount of information on subjects of which I had little or no knowledge. It was at times frustrating but always fascinating. 

Everyone seemed to know each other, to have been involved longer, and to toss around terms I wasn't clear about.

Diversity

An on-going challenge of coalitions is hearing and valuing divergent voices. In addressing this challenge it is important to respect that people/organizations bring something different and not every person/organization is the same (different skills, different abilities, etc...). You need a mix of action-oriented people and process-oriented people. By having so many organizations with so many resources, skills, etc. is powerful, especially when we get to the community level. (If we can mobilize these - terrific?). We have strength in our diversity. 

Supportive environment for members

The issue of how to help new coalition members feel welcome and involved is dependent on creating a supportive environment. A challenge is deciding how to do this considering that there are both process and action-oriented people. A core group of "believers" who help people feel more comfortable with the direction of the group helps to establish a supportive environment. To ensure everyone in the group participates and feels comfortable to participate, people need to be given permission to be confused. Testimonials work as participants need to know that confusion is part of the process. This way, validation is assured. Members need to be invited to participate in a safe way. Asking questions that might illicit a response helps build commitment. Small group discussion may provide a safer environment to participate, clarify and reflect. 

Members need to have breaks during this process, the ability to move around. It is also important to check in with individuals to make sure that they are feeling good about their participation. Often the human element is neglected in this process of planning. Some members may need "time" to reflect while others need permission to move ahead. Decision making needs to be based on consensus where all 

It has demonstrated that a large number of individuals from different organizations can work together in harmony and success. It has meant exposure to new and fascinating ideas. It has meant new friendships. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The thing that struck me from the start was the inclusiveness, I was made to feel a valued part of the team. The enthusiasm and commitment that has been built within the Coalition has been tremendous, as has the amount of work we have accomplished.

members have an equal voice. A supportive environment where members are valued for the skills and talents they have (at any capacity) increase commitment and personal growth. 

Benefits of Being a Coalition Member

Being a Coalition member has provided the opportunity to live community development/ activation, not just learning about it. Individual and group learning is a significant part of the project. Benefits extend beyond project participation. 

Other benefits include: 

  • networking; 
  • learning how groups work together; 
  • facilitation skill development; 
  • learning about heart health and health promotion; 
  • sharing resource materials and people. 
The benefits of being involved in the Regional Coalition stem from the experience and expertise of the participants. These are great gifts to share with communities. The process used in the development of the Coalition can be used in different areas and you find it starting to infiltrate in everything you do. 

Process of Change

Change is an evolutionary process that cannot be rushed (given the desire by many to change quickly to meet a need); and the process seems slow (but is understandable given the number of people, organizations and institutions involved). 

Although people sometimes appear resistant to change, it is not necessarily the change that is at issue. It is the "process" of achieving change that is often resisted by people. How change is managed is key, and we must recognize that change requires courage due to the uncertainty that accompanies change. 

The Regional Coalition is a "vehicle" (with a diverse group of individuals with ideas and activities) that is influencing member organizations. For example, the compatible goals

The Heart Health project represented a concrete way to encourage the Recreation Community to get involved in their communities by contributing to heart health. In addition, like everyone else it is getting more difficult to realize real community change unless you work in co-operation and collaboration for a greater interest. For me heart health provides that vehicle. 

However, the potential for developing new working relationships and expanding my understanding of health promotion seemed promising. 

With the Commission being drastically down-sized it became more difficult for me to see how we were going to achieve any results in this area. The Heart Health Partnership Project became a means to work on this mandate in the Western Region.

and activities of the coalition and member organizations help some organizations fulfill their role and mandate as an organization. 

This example illustrates the type of change that is currently underway in the "project" and although the change may seem onerous and unachievable (slow), it is being shown that it can be done by committed individuals and groups. 

Members of the Regional Coalition are acting as change agents for their organization and becoming champions for managed change within their organizations. Within this role they need to be able to (are making) the connection between what they are doing within the project, their organization and their personal life as a community member. 

Organizational Environment

Individuals on the coalition represent a variety of organizations. Each organization has an environment (philosophy, mandate, experiences) which acts as either a barrier or facilitator to the work of individuals on the coalition. Some organizations are results-based (i.e., look at the long term outcomes) while others are more action-oriented and want to see programs and projects. These organizational expectations differ between organizations and place pressure on coalition members. One of the challenges is making the organization feel involved and see the value and benefits of the process of the Coalition's mandate. There is a great deal of commitment at the Coalition by the members - how do we transfer this to our organizations and communities? 

The Heart Health Coalition is an opportunity to positively influence your own organization and to have an impact beyond. That is, members are learning from their work on the coalition and transferring this learning to their work with other groups. For example, Heart Health enabled a coalition member to address some of the institutional/bureaucratic divisions in philosophy about how to improve the quality of life in communities. The Heart Health Partnership can model a process of how to work with communities. 

Principles of and Support for Community Activation 

We recognize that there are principles of and supports for community activation. It is generally accepted that the community has a critical role in maintaining people's health as many people do not have choices or opportunities to maintain and improve their health. Examples could include bike trails and smoke-free environments. The coalition recognizes a number of key principles of community activation: 

  • decision-makers giving up control to the community partnership; 
  • recognizing community activation is a time-consuming process; 
  • value process as well as action and outcomes; 
  • buy-in/ownership is important to maintain interest. 
How to provide the same level of support to the community partnerships as the Coalition received is a real challenge. A further challenge is to provide opportunities for learning and building relationships among the community organizations. To support this we suggest co-facilitation of community meetings and action involving Heart Health staff, Coalition and Partnership members. 

It is important that Coalition members remain committed to the process and feel ownership by becoming involved at the community level. 

Challenges of Research

One of the challenges for research is who decides the "issue" of study. If communities haven't naturally identified the issue of heart health then it becomes a process of community mobilization versus community development. It becomes a question of balancing the research and action. The ability of the research to contribute without damaging the process; that is, being able to make use of the research and have it contribute to sustainability is a concern of both some regional coalition members and the researchers. Therefore, is the end the process itself?

Slipping into old patterns of thinking was much easier than trying to work through the process of visioning and values, and developing a consensus. Being action oriented, I had to remind myself at times that the slow pace is vitally important to a successful outcome. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Our School Board began to see the project, not as an isolated issue, but rather as a catalyst for people to articulate how health and wellness needs to be an integral part of the programs and services offered to students. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Philosophically, I am still not convinced that research and concepts like community development can coexist. We in fact have potential to do harm with research. This may be by creating expectations, continuing to reinforce the fact that "experts" identify issues versus the community... 

To have the opportunity to be involved in evaluating whether enhancing capacity through coalitions is an effective way to improve heart health, to me means we will have some measures to point to, that demonstrate the successes and challenges of this approach.

Coalitions have challenges. One of the challenge for participants is in knowing which 'hat' to wear, and when to wear it. Another challenge is how will the coalition be sustained. Participation of coalition members in a research project may be a challenge to a results-based organization. But the project provides an opportunity to document both the benefits and the challenges. 

Partnership Building

An on-going challenge of coalitions is welcoming new members and valuing individual contributions. New organizational representatives coming on board the coalition may have both positive and/or negative effects. A positive example is the gaining of knowledge and skills by the coalition. However, the introduction of new members may slow the group process and may delay the achievement of objectives. In building partnerships, it is important that the coalition recognize organizations have varying needs and will therefore buy in at different times and different levels (at their own pace). The Regional Coalition has created a supportive and trusting environment which permits this to happen for both members and staff. The Coalition must continue to provide support for their staff consistent with that provided to members. 

Working together with different organizations can be challenging because of different organizations' experiences and pressures. An understanding of the community development process is important in building partnerships. As a coalition it is important to demonstrate opportunities to link with key leadership organizations in a community and thereby get them on side. As an example, by identifying CHB members we can build a relationship with these key community contacts and facilitate partnership building at the community level.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Participation in the Regional Coalition has reaffirmed and enhanced my knowledge of how groups work and the elements necessary for groups to be able to reach their potential.

DISCUSSION

The Story Sharing exercise identified matters related to coalition functioning and organizational issues which were further explored in a questionnaire completed by all Regional Coalition members. This process provided insights into what involvement on the Coalition has meant to members and the organizations which they represent. Members also had the opportunity to reflect on more general issues such as the process of community activation, challenges of research, and partnership building.

Coalition Functioning

Through their stories, Coalition members identified elements of an effective coalition. Noted in many of the stories is the importance of the process involved in bringing people together to work on a common goal. This includes establishing values and a common vision, ensuring individuals are valued for their contributions, hearing and valuing diverse voices and opinions, using jargon-free language, and supporting a creative environment where it is safe for people to participate in discussions and decision making. Coalition members also identified some of the benefits of being a member of the Heart Health Regional Coalition. These included: networking opportunities; a chance to share resources and meet new people; capacity building in areas such as community activation, group process, facilitation, health promotion and heart health.

Organizational Issues

The Regional Coalition is made up of individuals representing various organizations. Several issues related to organizational involvement emerged from the stories. An insight generated from the stories is that Coalition members are acting as change agents within their organizations and the Coalition is a "vehicle" that is helping them to influence member organizations. The Coalition has also provided new networking and partnering opportunities for many of the organizations involved. It was also noted that the environment of an organization (philosophy, mandate, experiences) can act as either a barrier or facilitator to capacity building and change. A challenge identified was how to increase organizational involvement in the Coalition. There is a great deal of commitment by Coalition members -- but how do we transfer this commitment to our organizations and communities?

Summary

When considering coalition development and functioning, story sharing was thought to be an effective way of allowing members to reflect on their own experiences and share their personal thoughts and opinions with their peers. Together the group was able to further analyze their experiences and develop a deeper understanding of the development and functioning of the Regional Coalition. In addition, the stories provided insights not only into the development and functioning of the coalition, but also revealed facilitators and challenges to personal and organizational capacity building efforts. Members have had the opportunity to work with new individuals and networking between organizations has increased. In addition, some have increased their understanding of health promotion, research, and the process of community activation. Finally, the process of story sharing allowed Coalition members to tell their stories in a familiar medium, thereby, creating a comfortable environment where individuals felt free to share. The story sharing process is dynamic and the insights generated by the group have created a reflective environment and will shape the future work of the Coalition. This process engaged Coalition members in the research and has enhanced dialogue among members.

The issues related to both coalition functioning and organizational involvement which were identified by the story sharing exercise were addressed on the Coalition Functioning Questionnaire which will be discussed in the next section of this report. The questionnaire allowed members of the Coalition to further reflect on their involvement. As the Coalition continues to grow and develop, the insights generated in this report will help shape future directions and will ensure a reflective environment where the Coalition is continuously assessing its successes and challenges.
 
 

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