Starting a RALLY Program
Many elements of the RALLY program can be implemented independently, and any meaningful efforts by a school or community partner to involve families and offer students new resources are steps in a positive direction. To help you take the steps to initiate a formal RALLY program, the following list of "minimum requirements" outlines its foundational elements.
Requirement #1: A Full-Time, On-Site Coordinator.
The coordinator is responsible for providing support to prevention practitioners, as well as being a contact point between RALLY, the school and community partners. He or she should be skilled at developing and mediating relationships with students and adults. This person should have sufficient background in psychology/social services to be able to train and supervise prevention practitioners, recognize warning signs in children, and assist in making referrals. The coordinator must be highly organized, articulate, and resourceful in order to initiate and nurture relationships with RALLY's community partners as well as with the teaching, counseling, and administrative staff of the school. Although not essential, choosing a coordinator who is already networked within the school and/or local social service community can facilitate RALLY's implementation.
The coordinator must be on-site full time so that teachers, students, and practitioners in the RALLY program always have a RALLY person to turn to. It is possible for the coordinator to be a member of the school faculty who splits his/her time between RALLY and other responsibilities. It is also possible for the coordinator to be someone who works part-time as a coordinator and part-time as a prevention practitioner. We recommend that at least 50 percent of the coordinator's time during the school year be devoted to coordinating RALLY. The coordinator's other responsibilities should be sufficiently flexible that s/he is on call full-time to handle any RALLY emergencies. The coordinator will also need to be available to work during the summer since that is when much of the planning occurs for the following school year.
If you plan to hire a coordinator from outside the school, you may want to consider recruiting applicants from the Risk and Prevention Masters degree program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who have completed a year-long RALLY practicum. In addition to spending a year interning as RALLY prevention practitioners in Boston middle schools, graduates of this program have received extensive clinical supervision from psychologists affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Requirement #2: Strong Support from the Host School.
The success of the RALLY program depends on the investment of administration, teachers, and support staff of the host school. Their commitment to the RALLY program requires investing time to meet and plan with RALLY staff, helping RALLY link with the school's existing student support services, and facilitating practitioners' relationships with families and community partners. The host school needs to provide an allotted space for office work and student meetings & groups, access to teacher cluster meetings or bi-weekly RALLY meetings with teachers, weekly contact with a supportive cluster leader or lead teacher(s), bi-weekly meetings with student support coordinator and/or team/staff, and monthly meetings with principal/headmaster or upper administration.
Requirement #3: A Mental Health Partner.
Successful implementation of RALLY requires a mental health partner who handles referrals of students and families in need of counseling. The mental health partner preferably provides services on-site, since students are more likely to receive counseling if services are available at the school. The mental health partner ideally contributes to the initial instruction of practitioners and provides ongoing supervision of the practitioners' work through individual or group sessions. RALLY suggests partnering with a medical school or teaching hospital who can make work with RALLY a component of their own training programs.
Requirement #4: Trained, Available Practitioners.
Practitioners should have a social service or counseling background, and some experience working with adolescents in school settings, unless your program will provide all training required. Each practitioner must be on-site at least two days a week to maintain effective relationships with students. Working two full days a week, a practitioner can serve two classes (approximately 50 total students, including five Tier One students). RALLY recommends partnering with a local university to provide a source of student practitioners.
Requirement #5: Community Partnerships.
One of RALLY's goals is to connect students and their families to organizations and services that already exist in the local community. You will want to recruit organizations that can provide enrichment and support services to students during their hours away from school and the RALLY program. Having such organizations in your network will help you ensure that students continue to receive needed supports and growth opportunities after school, on weekends and during the summer. Potential partner organizations include: community centers, afterschool programs, summer camps, mentoring programs, athletic leagues, businesses offering internships, museums, arts organizations, immigrant support agencies, etc.
