recruiting conversation participants july 11, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
Recruiting Conversation Participants
July 11, 2013
Quick overview of the National Dialogue on Mental Health
Recruiting Conversation Participants• Planning your start point: Who, how many
and how to recruit • Developing your message• Effective ways to reach targeted
groups• Ways to recruit the hard to reach• Making it logistically as easy as possible to
participate
Today We Will Discuss
Panelists
Larry SchoolerCommunity Engagement Consultant, City of AustinPresident, IAP2USA
Gloria Francesca MengualProgram OfficerEveryday Democracy
Presenter
Matt LeighningerExecutive Director, Deliberative Democracy Consortium
National Dialogue on Mental Health
"Only 40% of people with mental illness receive treatment. We would not accept that for any other disease...." President Obama
"We have to change hearts and minds..." Secretary Sebelius
What is Creating Community Solutions?
• Effort to organize hundreds of community conversations and action plans
• Ten lead sites• Wide variety of other events: small
discussions, online dialogues, large planning processes
Goals of the Conversations
•Break down misperceptions and promote recovery and healthy communities•Find innovative community-based solutions
to mental health needs, focusing on young people•Develop steps for communities to move
forward, complements existing local activities
Benefits of Having Multiple Conversations
• Generates awareness• Builds relationships• Generates ideas for
action• Involves many kinds of
people• Community-wide impact
Conversation groups
Each conversation group:• Includes 8-10 people• Includes diverse
participants• Has two facilitators• Uses the Community
Conversation Discussion Guide to help structure the conversation
Sequence of the Conversations• Starting the
conversation• Identify challenges• Focusing on youth• Community solutions
Conversation FormatOne day event
• One half or full day event at large venue
• Conversations happen throughout the day with opportunities to share ideas
Multiple conversations over several days or weeks
•Large events to launch dialogues and share ideas•Small groups meet four
times for two hours each
-or-
I can’t make the meeting!How about a “Meeting in a Box?”
• Used by hundreds of groups, big and small
• At one event, dozens of meetings took place all at once!
• Similar models in New Hampshire,Arizona, Seattle, and Desoto, Texas!“Desoto Dining and Dialogue”
(DDD)• Helps with
– Convenience– Flexibility– Safety– Honesty
Advice on Recruiting Conversation Participants
Start Point: Who, How Many & How
•Who do we need to involve? Which groups?• How many do we need to involve to reach our
goals?•What might keep some from these groups from
participating?•Who from our team can reach out to these
groups?
Develop Your MessageInspire who you’re speaking to and motivate them to join the conversation. Localize your message. Your invitation should answer these questions:
• What are we doing?• What are we trying to accomplish?• Why does this matter to the person
you’re speaking with? (Answer “What’s in it for me?”)
How many participants do we want ?
• How many people do we want in the conversations? 15 participants
• How many need to sign up for that number to show up? 20 sign up
• How many need to have expressed an interest? 60 interested
• How many do we need to have reached out to? 300 heard about it
Effective Ways to Reach Out to Potential Participants
• Face-to-face conversations• Phone calls• Presentations• Traditional media• Social media• Sample conversations
Take Extra Steps to Recruit From these Groups
Youth: Think about creative ways to recruit from youth-led groups, as well as schools, clubs, sports teams or other organizations that serve youth. People who have lived experience and recovering from mental health problems: Think about reaching out to recovery groups, support groups, and organizations that support people with mental health challenges and their families. Culturally and economically diverse groups: Find a spokesperson or leader in these communities who can help spread the word. Also, seek out informal leaders from local businesses or community clubs.
Some places to Reach The Hard to Reach
• Corner store in low income neighborhood • Barber shop/beauty parlor• Social hour following a religious service• Social service agencies serving targeted group• Festivals/Fairs – using interactive means (sample
dialogue)
Extra, extra, speak all about it!“Speak Week”
Engaging the un-engagedby focusing on: – Convenience– Safety– Anonymity– Different levels of
input/time
How do we engage? Go where the community is
YouTube and municipal TV as community engagement tools:• Overview videos shown at Community Forum Series, on
municipal TV, on DVD, etc.• Live chat/SMS/voicemail inclusion in broadcast meetings
(including Ustream)
“Champions”—Long-Term Activities
• Task Forces, Working Groups, Boards and Commissions
• “Neighborhood College” (Hickory, North Carolina)
• AustinCorps• ConversationCorps• Youth Councils (Boston, MA;
Novi, MI; Hampton, VA)• Block Clubs (Cupertino, CA)• International Leadership
Academy (Skokie, IL)
Make it Logistically as Easy as Possible to Participate
• Trusted, accessible location• Convenient time for
participants• Offer child care• Offer translators• Provide refreshments• Transportation• Arrangements for hearing- or
visually-impaired participants
Questions?
Thank You!
Larry SchoolerCommunity Engagement Consultant, City of AustinPresident, [email protected]
Gloria Francesca MengualProgram Officer,Everyday Democracywww.everyday-democracy.orggmengual@everyday-democracy.org
For any questions, please contact:Matt LeighningerExecutive DirectorDeliberative Democracy Consortiumwww.deliberative-democracy.netmattl@deliberative-democracy.net
Today’s Panelists: