Tools for Capacity Building

African American Church Toolkit and Training - "Be Free Indeed! Tobacco Prevention Tools for the African American Church"
Purpose: To assist African American/Black churches in enacting and implementing tobacco-free policies.
Outline: A history of African Americans and tobacco; Tobacco advertising; Health risks; Secondhand smoke; the benefits of quitting; why churches should get involved.
Format: 5 individual guides with messages and activities designed specifically for the church, preachers, men, women, and youth.

APPEAL Stages of Community Readiness Model
Community capacity can be defined as a community's current ability (as opposed to inherent ability) to respond to certain pressures. When looking at the impact of tobacco on communities, one must look not only on tobacco use rates and patterns, but also on the ability of a community to respond to tobacco control comprehensively.
In 1996, under the leadership of Dr. Robert Robinson of CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, the impact of capacity building on tobacco control was examined in four major ethnic communities. Asian American and Pacific Islanders were found to have had a low to very low capacity to address tobacco in terms of research, infrastructure, programs and policy initiatives.
Based on Prochaska's Stages of Change model, APPEAL has developed a Stages of Readiness model to identify the varying capacities that communities may be at to respond to tobacco. For more information about the APPEAL Stages of Readiness Model, please contact APPEAL at 510.272.9536 or appeal@aapcho.org.

Global Tobacco Control
This site offers free instructional training for policy makers, researchers, educators and the general public. We help participants develop and implement effective tobacco control programs, advocate for substantial anti-smoking regulations and craft media campaigns that make a difference. Our multimedia educational modules feature tobacco control experts from around the world. The curriculum was developed by faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the premier source for research and policy guidance on how to stem the global epidemic of tobacco-related cancer deaths.

Implementing a Community Readiness Approach to Tobacco Control
Implementing a Community Readiness Approach to Tobacco Control is a compilation of case studies highlighting how five regional coalitions or networks from across the continental U.S. and Hawai`i took up the challenge of reducing tobacco use in their local Asian American and Pacific Islander communities using a community capacity building approach. By sharing their experiences, accomplishments and challenges, we hope others will gain new ideas and fresh strategies to apply within their own communities. To request a copy, please contact APPEAL at appeal@aapcho.org or 510-272-9536.

Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota's Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP)
In order to further develop its leadership work in other states, APPEAL recently received a contract from the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT) to launch a leadership and advocacy institute for Minnesota's priority populations. This innovative institute called LAAMPP (Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota's Parity for Priority Populations) will provide an intensive training program for community leaders and further develop the communities' capacity to respond to tobacco.

Leadership Tool - Clearing the Air: A training to empower current and future African American/Black leaders in tobacco control
Purpose: To educate and empower the African American/Black community against tobacco use.
Outline: Introduction to tobacco products; Industry marketing tactics; Tobacco related disease; Tobacco's impact: men, women, and youth; Secondhand Smoke; Cessation.
Format: CD based, 1-1/2 hour educational training

National Cross-Cultural Leadership and Parity Institute
APPEAL took a lead role in partnering with the Alliance on Advancing Parity & Leadership for Priority Populations (Parity Alliance) to convene the First National Cross Cultural Leadership and Parity Institute from April 30 - May 2, 2005 in Chicago, IL. More than 40 participants gathered for this historic institute to provide leadership training and advance parity issues in tobacco control. A successful outcome of this institute was the Parity fellows organizing an endorsement signing action during the 2005 National Conference on Tobacco or Health to support parity resolutions and advance parity issues.

National APPEAL Youth Leadership Program
The National APPEAL Youth Leadership Program is the only national program that mobilizes youth to take action against tobacco's impact on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across the U.S. and Pacific Islands. This fellowship provides training and one-on-one support to youth advocates as they develop and implement projects promoting positive change within their communities.
The program consists of a four-day leadership summit followed by a year-long fellowship. Fellows develop skills and knowledge on advocacy, tobacco control issues as they affect the AAPI community, developing and implementing action plans, public speaking, mobilizing community participation, and much more! Upon completion of the summit, Fellows return to their communities equipped with the skills and confidence necessary to lead successful tobacco control projects during their fellowship year.

Tobacco Prevention Training for the African American Church
Supports state and local tobacco control church based initiatives within the African American community and empowers church leaders to engage in tobacco prevention and cessation activities.
Includes:

Training for pastors and health ministry leaders
On-going technical assistance and evaluation
Faith-based Toolkit: Be Free Indeed! Tobacco Prevention Tools for the African
American Church (contains 5 guides with tobacco education, cessation and advocacy messages tailored for preachers, men, women and youth entitled):
- Tobacco Prevention in the African American Church
- African American Women's Guide to Tobacco Prevention
- African American Preacher's Guide to Tobacco Prevention
- Battle Plan for African American Men Leading the Charge in the War Against Tobacco
- African American Youth Guide to Tobacco Prevention "4 Real"

Washington State Cross Cultural Leadership Institute
APPEAL along with the Tobacco Prevention & Control Resource Center (TPRC) successfully convened two consecutive years of the WA State Cross Cultural Leadership Institute. The first Cross Cultural Leadership Institute occurred from June 7-10, 2004 in Blaine, WA and the second Cross Cultural Leadership Institute on May 16-19, 2005 near Winthrop, WA. During the 2005 Leadership Institute, 34 fellows from across Washington joined to build leadership skills and develop strategies for addressing tobacco disparities in communities of color and LGBT communities. We thank TRPC, the Washington Department of Health, diverse communities, team leaders and fellows for giving us the opportunity to partner and advance parity through the leadership institute.