Monday 21st November - Last day in Atlanta

The final morning of the exchange programme was spent visiting the CDC and sharing our exchange experiences with colleagues. It was clear that we had all experienced very different REACH programs and it was interesting to hear the learning outcomes of the other UK cities (Coventry, Nottingham and Sandwell).

From the Stoke-on-Trent perspective of this exchange, key learning points included;

- Change doesn’t happen overnight; partnerships need to be cultivated at all levels to ensure ongoing success. This includes the importance of providing ongoing support mechanisms to groups and communities. 
- Sustainability needs to be built into programmes from the outset.

- The importance of supporting empowerment and ownership of programmes within communities.
- Realising the power of individuals within communities to influence peers and the importance of ‘gate keepers’ in engaging communities.

-  It is important to use an asset-based approach, focusing on the positives in communities, including the value of skills, experience and local knowledge of individuals.
- Finally, PARTNERSHIP, PARTNERSHIP, PARTNERSHIP! - making health 'everybody's business' and making the most of resources by working together.

Members of the Stoke-on-Trent team would like to thank all of those individuals and organisations who made this exchange possible. We would like to thank Graydon Yatabe and Kenitra Robinson from the CDC for being fantastic guides and all of those at the MHRC (UAB) for being great hosts. We have all learned a great deal form this exchange and we look forward to hosting our American colleagues in Stoke-on-Trent in 2012.