Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, or CMCA are a community organizing effort designed to change policies and practices of major community institutions in ways that reduce access to alcohol by teenagers by using environmental strategies.

Environmental strategies are focused on changing aspects of the environment that contribute to the use of alcohol and other drugs. Specifically, environmental strategies aim to decrease the social and health consequences of substance abuse by limiting access to substances and changing social norms that are accepting and permissive of substance abuse.

Efforts can change public laws, policies and practices to create environments that decrease the probability of substance abuse. Broadly defined, individual strategies are short-term actions focused on changing individual behavior, while environmental strategies involve longer-term, potentially permanent changes that have a broader reach (e.g., policies and laws that affect all members of society).

Environmental strategies are a proven powerful way to address identified community problems such as, alcohol and tobacco use, by changing the social and physical environment in which we live.

The programs incorporate a number of goals, including: Assessing the community for it’s readiness for change, Developing a core leadership group with key community stakeholders, Develop a plan of action, Building mass base of support with community volunteers (adults and youth), Implementing an action plan, Maintaining the organization and institutionalizing change, and Evaluating changes.  

The Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) Program of Volunteers of America Alaska is funded by The Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG).  

For additional information, please contact:

Charlie Daniels
Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol Services Director
1675 C Street, Ste. 201
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Tel: (907) 279-9602
Fax: (907) 276-5489

Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, or CMCA are a community organizing effort designed to change policies and practices of major community institutions in ways that reduce access to alcohol by teenagers by using environmental strategies.

Environmental strategies are focused on changing aspects of the environment that contribute to the use of alcohol and other drugs. Specifically, environmental strategies aim to decrease the social and health consequences of substance abuse by limiting access to substances and changing social norms that are accepting and permissive of substance abuse.

Efforts can change public laws, policies and practices to create environments that decrease the probability of substance abuse. Broadly defined, individual strategies are short-term actions focused on changing individual behavior, while environmental strategies involve longer-term, potentially permanent changes that have a broader reach (e.g., policies and laws that affect all members of society).

Environmental strategies are a proven powerful way to address identified community problems such as, alcohol and tobacco use, by changing the social and physical environment in which we live.

The programs incorporate a number of goals, including: Assessing the community for it’s readiness for change, Developing a core leadership group with key community stakeholders, Develop a plan of action, Building mass base of support with community volunteers (adults and youth), Implementing an action plan, Maintaining the organization and institutionalizing change, and Evaluating changes.  

The Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol (CMCA) Program of Volunteers of America Alaska is funded by The Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG).  

For additional information, please contact:

Charlie Daniels
Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol Services Director
1675 C Street, Ste. 201
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Tel: (907) 279-9602
Fax: (907) 276-5489