A coalition is a group of organizations and individuals working together for a common purpose. One type of coalition is the "Multi issues" coalition. This type of coalition has many related issues, such as alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, nutrition and health, childcare needs, elderly health care, or the environment. This more permanent type of coalition recognizes the value of mobilizing people together for action over a longer time.

There is a coalition in Bullitt County called Partners In Prevention. This coalition focuses on issues concerning the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The Partners in Prevention is a coalition of caring and involved citizens working to create a safe and healthy environment through comprehensive prevention services for Bullitt County youth and families. Our focus is drug use and abuse prevention. This includes Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD). We work on increasing awareness of the harmful effects of drug abuse; providing and strengthening prevention services for youth and families with ATOD problems; and education the public about the problems associated with the abuse of these substances.

Coalition building is needed when one organization recognizes it alone does not have the technical capability or people power to have a real impact on an issue. Today's issues often are complex and the target audiences are larger. Often to accomplish a goal, representation must be broadened to include nontraditional vested-interest groups that have larger roles in local, state, and national policymaking. Coalitions assist in:

·setting priorities for action,

·helping to identify specific data and informational needs from other groups and agencies,

·carrying out the educational plan,

·broadening the development of new audiences,

·reporting the results of coalition activities through media,

·improving the educator's capacity for providing information to citizens, interest groups, and policy-makers.

Sometimes when people hear the word "coalition" they think of groups that have rallied around one issue because they hold similar strong opinions on that issue. That is not how "coalition" is used here. Building a coalition refers to bringing groups together to discuss a possible issue or need before strong opinions have formed. An example might be representatives of many different organizations in a community coming together to explore the various alternatives for issues in their area.