UNITY Cities See Value in
Collaboration Multiplier Tool 

“UNITY has definitely given me perspective and direction moving forward. We will use Collaboration Multiplier. Very helpful!"

--UNITY City Network event participant

The 2015 UNITY City Network convening event in Oakland, Calif., was the largest in UNITY’s 10-year history. With support from the Langeloth Foundation, UNITY brought together 70 representatives from 23 cities to develop skills and renew connections. Prevention Institute’s Collaboration Multiplier tool was the biggest take-away, with three out of four participants saying they would use the tool to prevent violence in their city. 

Participants were trained to use Multi-Sector Partnerships for Preventing Violence, a new guide that walks people through the Collaboration Multiplier tool and explains why 10 sectors should care about violence and how they can help prevent it. This guide was designed by and for cities, to replicate the Collaboration Multiplier process and improve safety outcomes in communities across the U.S. Whether you’re just getting started or already have a strong coalition, the guide can help local groups agree on shared outcomes and identify joint strategies. This resource was developed with support from the Kresge Foundation.

Missed the event? Scroll through the Storify recap or the photo album for other event highlights:

• Examples from UNITY cities of working across sectors. See page 4 of the UNITY event summary for updates from Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Richmond CA, San Diego and Seattle.
  
• The site visit to the REACH Ashland Youth Center. See page 5 of the UNITY event summary for a stellar example of multi-sector collaboration in action.
  
• Nine breakout sessions on engaging potential partners, such as the justice sector, local businesses and the news media. More than 80 percent of participants said the event helped them identify additional sectors to engage in local violence prevention efforts.
  
• Welcoming remarks by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf!

A Prevention Institute initiative, UNITY is funded by the Langeloth Foundation. UNITY has also been supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The California Wellness Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.