For our second Town Hall for 2023, we asked over 1,000 drug courts what topic they wanted to discuss in their community. The answer was building a Drug Court Alumni association!
Building a post program group is harder than it seems with limited resources and time. Not only do you have your regular day to day duties, but you’ve got to put in the elbow grease to make sure this new second program runs. Thankfully, we spoke to multiple recovery courts who were able to give us some insight on how to do just that!
Here’s the highlights
How do you engage with your current participants?
Many drug court operators said that they use an app, like One Step, to keep in touch and keep track of meeting attendance. These apps provide a place where you can continue to contact your alumni after they’ve graduated the program without having to exchange any personal information.
Alternatively, some organizations prefer to use personal numbers for texting and calls then switch over to a facebook group for post-program communication
What does your exit process look like?
Most treatment courts have a graduation ceremony. Before and sometimes after, they’re given resources on the groups and peer supports that work closely with the program and go through an exit survey. During this last little bit of paperwork, they’re asked if they want to opt into the alumni program.
This opting in gives the staff a chance to get their contact information or introduce them to the app that is used specifically for keeping everyone engaged, involved, and supported.
Who runs the alumni program?
Most organizations had staff members who would dedication a portion of their day to their alumni program. It was their responsibility to ensure people stay engaged and were signed up for the program at the graduation ceremonies or exit processes. But there was a handful of organizations that had a previous participant head up the program!
This person became a Drug Court Alumni Advocate and would help moderate the app or groups that their alumni would engage in. They would also help organize events and come up with ideas for gatherings or group talks.
Do you post any content or host any events?
The number one way to keep people involved is to make sure they have something to interact with. We saw many drug courts with alumni programs who would host picnics or lunches. A lot of organizations would also host weekly or monthly meetings where alumni can chat and speak about their progress and struggles.
Even if they weren’t hosting events, these recovery courts were posting about events like job fairs that their former participants would be interested in.
Do you involve loved ones?
When hosting events, inviting loved ones is always a great way to guarantee attendance. By involving the families of your participants, they don’t have to take time away from them to attend your events and even better, you may end up helping even more people.
Want to join us on our next town hall? Reach out to info@onestepsoftware.com and provide your information so we can get you on the mailing list!