The mission of Shoulder to Shoulder is to share practical, evidence-based information and tools to support parents of teens and other caring adults. The Shoulder to Shoulder Advisory Group believes our diverse communities are places where parents and other involved adults find support and gain confidence to raise healthy teens through love, limits and respect. Shoulder to Shoulder is a project of the Minnesota Institute of Public Health (MIPH), a non-profit organization that was founded in 1972. MIPH is staffed by a group of people dedicated to working with individuals and organizations to safeguard and promote the public health. MIPH and Shoulder to Shoulder share the goal of reaching parents of teens and other responsible adults with information about positive parenting in order to increase comfort and confidence levels in raising their children.
Shoulder to Shoulder receives funding from the McKnight Foundation and the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). Current partners include: Children's Trust Fund, City of Bloomington Public Health, Dakota County Public Health, Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department, Minnesota Institute of Public Health, Minneapolis Public Library, Minnesota Department of Health, University of Minnesota Extension Service, and Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment.
Shoulder to Shoulder was created in 2001 by the Positive Parenting for Adolescent Health Consortium. Funding for this project was initially provided by the Minnesota Tobacco Endowment for Youth Risk Behavior initiative, and federal TANF Family Home Visiting/Teen Pregnancy Prevention funding.
Recognition for Shoulder to Shoulder
Shoulder to Shoulder received a National Association of Counties (NACO) 2005 Achievement Award. This award program seeks to recognize innovative county government programs. One of the areas that nominated programs should address is "promoting intergovernmental cooperation and coordination in addressing shared problems." Please visit the following link to learn more about NACO, the award and see a list of other 2005 winners: Click Here
Shoulder to Shoulder was recently designated a Promising Practice by the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO). This means that Shoulder to Shoulder is a program that exhibits potential by meeting at least one of the following three criteria: public health agency role, collaboration or innovation/responsiveness. From NACCHO's point of view, there is qualitative and quantitative evidence that Shoulder to Shoulder improves outcomes. To learn more about NACCHO and their Model Practice program please visit the following link:
http://www.naccho.org/topics/modelpractices/index.cfm
All content on this site may be reproduced in its in entirety without prior permission, provided the source is cited as Shoulder to Shoulder Minnesota, 2003. Copyright © 2003, Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
If you would like more information about Shoulder to Shoulder and the projects and services offered, please contact Becky Sechrist at the Minnesota Institute of Public Health:
763-427-5310 or 1-800-782-1878
If you are in need of resources for you, your teen or your family, please contact your county social service agency.
Thank you for your interest in Shoulder to Shoulder.