Community Collaboration: Effective Partnerships with Steering Committees

This article reports the findings of a study examining the development, use, and effectiveness of community-based steering committees at three different rural sites. Each site developed projects administered by local Extension Educators aimed at benefiting at-risk youth and families. The effectiveness of the steering committees was evaluated by whether conditions were cultivated that would lead to program sustainability. Factors examined at each site included: availability and deployment of resources; steering committee composition; and leadership of the project. The article details the results of the study and suggests some implications for the development of community partnerships.