Task D: Inviting Participants
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Inviting Participants
Who you invite to the workshop will not only influence the workshop outcomes but will also affect the workshop environment and engagement level of all participants. It is important that community members feel comfortable and safe to share their thoughts and participate in co-creation, but it is equally important that there is a good representation of “community voices”, “community health experts” and “decision-makers.”
Who
Aside from the facilitators that will come from the convenor group, we recommend inviting 5-8 participants for every 1 facilitator with ~60% of participants being community members and the remaining 40% representing one of the following groups:
Health leaders: any and all health care practitioners who are involved in any stage of your healthcare journey
Non-health community leaders: leaders in your community who may have an influence on the actions and opinions of your participants (e.g., faith leaders)
Decision-makers: elected leaders, county executives, funding bodies, policymakers, etc.
For Example: An ideal workshop may have 15-24 participants in total, for equally distributed breakout sessions of 5-8 people. Each breakout group should aim to have ~2 community members, and 3-6 health leaders, non-health leaders, and/or government officials.
This number allows each group to hear from a variety of perspectives while maintaining an intimate setting where everyone’s voices can be heard.
How
Have one main point of contact from the convenor group whose role is to contact participants and answer any questions they have about the event. They may fill in a contact sheet similar to the provided template containing the participants’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, and assigned group numbers.
Send a Google Calendar invite and an accompanying email that includes a brief description of the event, the schedule and time commitment, and a visual checklist to help them prepare.
Optional: If required, the organizer may also distribute and collect participant consent forms prior to the event.
When
We strongly suggest giving participants at least 2-3 weeks' notice prior to the workshop to RSVP and book a time in their calendars. More time is likely required for prominent leaders and government officials.
Helpful Tip
For communities that are still in the early stages of community engagement, it is important that you situate the workshop within broader community work so that participants don't feel utilized and left behind. The workshop itself (and follow-up workshops) could serve as a key tool to build engagement and forge relationships!
Examples of Invites
The following invitation assets came out of our pilot workshop and are examples of what your templates could look like!
CommuniVax is a national coalition of social scientists, public health experts, and community advocates who seek to strengthen the community's role in an equitable COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Bridgeable is an award-winning service design consultancy. We work with individuals and organizations to create a more human world, one experience at a time.