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The Alternative Community Events (ACE) Framework supports a diverse array of activities and services that promote positive norms, messaging, skill development, and community connection. It is designed to enhance mental health, raise awareness, combat stigma, foster positive youth development, and advance community health and well-being, including substance use prevention. The framework encompasses events that engage families, youth, and priority populations, providing safe, constructive alternatives that strengthen community bonds and support overall wellness; a few examples of ACEs include substance-free events, organized recreational trips, dances and parties, leadership activities, integration with services at community drop-in centers, and community service activities.
Stakeholder Involvement:
Engaging a diverse group of stakeholders—including the priority population, youth, parents, schools, community organizations, and local businesses—in the planning process will ensure that events are appealing and relevant to the priority audience. Their input will be invaluable in shaping the events to meet community needs.
Advance Notification: The priority audience should be informed about the events well in advance so that they can plan and look forward to attending.
Establishing Synergies:
To fully understand the capability of ACEs impacts, it is important to look beyond standard risk and protective factors commonly used in prevention efforts and factor in the role of ecology, interaction, and relational considerations. The Social Development Model highlights the pathway by which adolescents shape their decisions and behavior patterns through bonding achieved by repeated involvement with and perceived reinforcements from family, school, peers, and the community, coupled with healthy beliefs and clear standards. Further, the Alternative Community Events Framework is designed with sufficient comprehensiveness to enable communities to implement multiple Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Core Strategies. When intentionally incorporated into local design, this framework can extend beyond simply providing Alternatives. It has the potential to impact Community-Based Processes, Prevention Education, Information Dissemination, and Environmental strategies. By thoughtfully integrating these elements, communities can leverage the ACE Framework to address multiple facets of health promotion and prevention simultaneously.
Evidence-Informed Components:
When implementation design at the local level is grounded in the Social Development Strategy (Catalano, Hawkins, Berglund, Pollard, & Arthur, 2002), ACEs are strengthened as being evidence-informed, categorically. However, local ACE design must include certain components to be designated as such, in terms of implementation. These include adherence to fidelity requirements and evaluation. Although local organizations may sponsor or adopt events to support ongoing efforts, the following process and design requirements serve as a foundation for impact and sustainability:
Continuous Engagement:
Development of a comprehensive, year-long calendar of events will ensure a continuous presence and consistent messaging within the community. This calendar can include a mix of regular activities, such as weekly sports leagues and monthly movie nights, along with special events like holiday celebrations and community festivals. Scheduling and planning builds reliability and can provide for intended outcomes. As with any chosen strategy, you must be sure that there are materials, facilitators, venues for facilitating, a reach number, partnerships to approach and do the strategy, ways to engage the audience, incentives and opportunities to get feedback.
Event details are planned for the entire fiscal year. Initial work must be done to set-up the events and determine costs. Efforts include:
- At this point, you have reviewed assessment data to establish if the strategy will move the needle on those determinants and behaviors of concern.
- Start planning by involving the priority population in focus groups or interviews to determine the best type of events.
- Create a team to do the planning, an event planner could be a useful team member.
- Consistency is key. Planning must also be done for the programs, activities and events so that there is a reliable product. A good rule of thumb is to have two small events and one large event each quarter on the same day of the month. That way the target population can plan and look forward to the events.
- Be sure the events reflect the determinant. For instance: To move the needle on Pro-social engagement, participants need to be involved in building a better community. Prosocial is a helping behavior. Prosocial includes events or activities across different settings with the express purpose of benefiting others. Youth have to contribute to the community (e.g., trash clean up, something they actively do that involves skill building and recognition). To build this, we should include ways that the participants can give back to the community to encourage a sense of belonging.
- Tables or booths at other events to showcase and promote what is being done within the strategy.
- COSTS include materials, facilitation, venues, promotion, human resources, incentives and cost of the programs, activities, and events.
Scheduling Considerations:
When planning events, they should be scheduled on monthly basis (consider scheduling one specific day of the month, if possible (e.g., the third Saturday)) to have a total of 12 events annually. These are comprised of one large event with two smaller events each quarter. One event per quarter must focus on pro-social activities. Regular planning team meetings must involve the priority population to ensure their needs are considered—reflecting the principle of “nothing about them without them.”
Substance-Free Environment: A commitment to ensuring that events are free from alcohol, vaping, tobacco, or any substance use will create a safe and positive atmosphere for personal development and engagement. Events may not be during times when sobriety is expected (such as during the school day or at school events).
Voluntary Participation: Emphasis will be placed on voluntary participation, ensuring that attendees view the event as a positive choice for personal growth and engagement. Participation cannot be during times where attendance is mandatory (such as during the school day).
Value Proposition: The focus will be on the priority population chosen to be affected. According to the Exchange Theory, for an exchange to take place, the audience must perceive benefits equal to or greater than the perceived costs, which may include time, distance, relationships, and reputation.
Required to meet fidelity:
| Event Size | Frequency | Type of Event | No. of Participants | Duration | Components | SDS Alignment |
| Large Scale | 4 annually | Carnival | 100 or more | Over 2 hours | Various activities, entertainment, informational booth, food | Opportunities, Involvement, Skills, Reinforcement |
| Small/Medium | 4 annually | Single activity: fishing, bowling, movie, | 50 or more | Under 2 hours | Activity, food, information dissemination | Opportunities, Involvement, Bonding |
| Small | 4 annually | Pro-social: Learn new skill, community development, altruistic | Under 50 | Under 2 hours |
Additional Event Considerations:
| Event Size | Frequency | Type of Event | No. of Participants | Duration | Components | SDS Alignment |
| Small | Weekly/Bi-weekly | Group chosen interest and/or alternative event planning | 50 or less | Under 2 hours | Chosen activity | Bonding, Skills, Opportunities, Involvement |
| Large | 4 annually | Camps, retreats or summits | 50 or more | 2-3 days | Intensive programming that includes workshops, team-building activities, and recreational opportunities. | Bonding, Skills, Opportunities, Involvement. |
Community and Interactive opportunities: Incorporation of activities at both ACE and community events will create opportunities to engage with event-goers and build the ACE brand. These interactions will help strengthen community bonds and foster a supportive environment.
| Event Size | Frequency | Type of Event | No. of Participants | Duration | Components | SDS Alignment |
| Varies | When planned throughout community | Community Events outside of planned alternatives (e.g. county fair, or festivals) | N/A | Full time frame of event | Tabling to introduce Alternative Events. |
Strategic Scheduling: Before implementation, scheduling and planning will be fully completed and vetted with the strategy developer as part of the licensing and usage contract. This thorough process will build reliability and prevent events from becoming a singular, one-and-done activity. While some event details may be tentative, initial plans will be made, and estimates will be defined for costs (including in-kind donations) related to locations, materials, activities, and promotion.
To help foster the planning process, please complete: Worksheet Two: Event Planning Once you have completed the worksheet, please let you TA Consultant know.
