The “Create a Legacy” activity, together with the “How Can We Sustain Our Efforts?” tool, will help you track the many components of your implementation plan. These might include hiring new employees, managing new programs, training staff in new practices, and offering administrative support to guide the programs forward. 

 

Changing systems is hard work! All the planning and collaboration that have led up to this phase have prepared your team to cope with trouble spots that can make implementation difficult. Introducing new bullying prevention programming, and especially changing school culture, will in some settings require a major shift. Interagency partnerships, like those between schools and law enforcement, may depend on regular communication where there has been little communication in the past. All partners will benefit from your patience and resilience as your team remains focused on the outcomes you have set out to achieve. 

 

Implementation should include ongoing assessment of programs. You have already collected data to show the extent of bullying and its connections to mental health referrals, arrests, and aspects of school and community culture. Now, data collection helps you know whether the programs you are implementing are making a difference, or if you need to make adjustments to be more effective.