Resources Needed For Planning Successful Meetings

Resources needed for successful meetings are: 

Staffing

• Registration desk

• All staff should be up front to greet attendees and build or manage relationships

• Lead facilitators and breakout group facilitators

• Handlers for cordless microphones

• Recorders for flip charts or graphic recorders

• Note-takers

• A/V assistance, videographers

• Technical staff to give presentations

• Set up and break down of furniture and equipment

• Interpreters, if necessary

Materials

• Venue reservation with appropriate space and furniture

• Registration desk, forms, nametags

• Refreshments appropriate to time, effort and audience

• Data projectors, laptops, screens

• Flipcharts, tape, and markers

• Sound system with cordless microphones

• Presentations, posters, fact sheets, agendas

• Video

• Props for working in groups (pens, paper, pins, etc.)

• Evaluation forms, comment forms

• Child care

Planning Time

• Effective meetings take months to plan and implement

• Begin advertising at least one month in advance

Implementation Time

• Meetings generally last from one to four hours

• Arrive at least two hours ahead to ensure all set up is complete prior to early arrivals

Group Size

• Meetings can be designed to meet virtually any size audience

• For larger meetings, consider some portion of the meeting which allows for smaller group dialogue

Cost

• Simple public meetings can be done with minimal cost

• The major cost driver is staff time

• Additional significant costs can include venue rental, advertising, and neutral facilitation support

Principles for Successful Planning

We bring you tips for successful planning: 

• Establish why you need to hold a public meeting and design your meeting to meet these specific needs. Do not hold a meeting to simply meet a regulatory requirement; this wastes people’s time, and may create disinterest for future involvement

• Consider a series of meetings, rather than a single event. If you try to do too much in a single meeting, you will achieve little as people will not be able to understand the full range of information you are trying to provide. Instead, consider the learning and deliberation journey required to solve the problem and identify strategic meeting points throughout the overall public participation process

• Publicize and advertise the meeting broadly. Make sure to put information in places where stakeholders go for their community information. Reach out directly to the range of interests who should be in attendance and extend personal invitations

• In all advertising, clearly state the goal of the meeting, how it will work, and why stakeholders should attend. State the beginning and end times but avoid providing information about smaller time segments

• Public meetings are often a focal point for media interest. Invite media and provide them with specific information that will help them to cover the meeting accurately

• Take photos to provide a record of the event

• Videos of the presentations can be produced to stream on the web and provide a resource to those who could not attend

• Produce a clear summary of the meeting and distribute widely

• Book a venue that allows for flexibility as to numbers of attendees

• Venue should be located directly in the affected community if possible, or in a neutral area if not

• Provide refreshments

• Conduct the meeting at a time that is most convenient for the community

• Make arrangements for people with disabilities or with language interpretation needs

• Arrive and set up early

• Test all equipment and arrange seating to maximize interaction of participants

• Greet everyone as they arrive and make them feel welcome

• Ask participants to agree to ground rules or behavioral guidelines at the beginning of the meeting

• Present the agenda and explain the purpose of the meeting, how it will work, expected outcomes, and how/where it fits into the overall public participation process

• Facilitation is essential

• Make sure to create a safe and secure environment for all voices to be heard and to avoid allowing the meeting to be taken over by vocal community members

• Be flexible; issues may arise that can change the agenda or ability to address certain issues

• Record all input and comments; summarize what you have heard at the end of the meeting and let participants know what you will do with their input and what to expect next in the process, especially opportunities for ongoing participation.

Public Meetings

Public meetings bring diverse groups of stakeholders together for a specific purpose. Public meetings are held to engage a wide audience in information sharing and discussion. They can be used to increase awareness of an issue or proposal, and can be a starting point for, or an ongoing means of engaging, further public involvement. When done well, they help build a feeling of community.

Meetings can be virtually any size and can be used for any purpose from providing information up to consensus building. Public meetings are familiar, established ways for people to come together to express their opinions, hear a public speaker or proposed plan, engage in shared learning about a topic, or work together to develop solutions. Public meetings do not have to follow any specific script or agenda. They can be designed to meet the specific needs of the project, agency, and stakeholders. The main advantage of public meetings is the ability for stakeholders to listen to and talk to each other, not just the agency.

While most public meetings are larger and are intended to attract the full range of stakeholders in a community, smaller public meetings can also be held with like-minded stakeholders. Focus groups or dialogue meetings can be made up of people with common concerns who may not feel confident speaking up in a larger public gathering (e.g. women, those who speak English as a second language, indigenous groups). By creating a safe venue, these people can speak comfortably together, share common issues and a common purpose. The findings from smaller meetings can be presented at larger public meetings or in summary reports, giving a “voice” to those in the community who are unable to speak up in a larger setting.

Advantages

• Introduces a project or issue to a community

• Provides all participants a chance to voice their concerns, issues, and ideas

• Disseminates detailed information and decisions throughout the community

• Provides opportunities for exploring alternative strategies and building consensus

• Can create consensus for action on complex issues that require broad-based community input

Challenges to Consider

• Unless carefully planned and well facilitated, those perceived as having the most power within the community, or those who are most articulate and domineering in their verbal style can dominate the meeting and overwhelm the ability of other voices to be heard

• Even when well attended, meetings will only reach a very small segment of the community that require information and whose input could be extremely valuable in crafting solutions

• Participants may not come from a broad enough range of interests to represent the entire community, providing a skewed view of what the public really thinks

• Unless well designed and facilitated, conflicts may be deepened rather than explored and potentially resolved

• Community members may not be willing to work together

MAHIPSO Uses Integrated Community Mobilization Approaches to Increase Community Participation in HIV Prevention Activities

MAHIPSO uses tried and tested measures at community-level to increase participation by beneficiaries in interventions that address their needs. 

Over time we have realized that community mobilization is so many things that add up to make the event a success. We also know that community mobilization is continuous and involves so many participants called players or stakeholders. 

It is this very principle that makes us use identified community venues to enable people donate blood and at the same time be introduced to HIV prevention. We use the community-based mobile voluntary counseling, testing and post-test support services to increase opportunities for conversations, change attitudes, increase knowledge  and altering community norms to reduce the incidence of HIV in Greater Masaka Region. 

Seven major community mobilization strategies are used: 

1. key-stakeholder buy-in

2. formation of community coalitions

3. community engagement

4. community participation

5. raising community awareness

6. involvement of leaders

7. partnership building. 

We hope to build on this collective advocacy and organization to foster HIV awareness and prevention; crime prevention;  increase uptake of VCT, stimulate discussions about HIV, reduce stigma, and ultimately decrease HIV incidence in Greater Masaka Region. 

For those interested in reading more about Community Mobilization: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3400971/; http://www.mchip.net/sites/default/files/h_Community_Mobilization.pdf; dvocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/2398-strategies-guided-by-best-practice-for-community-mobilization; 

http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/1283-key-issues-in-community-mobilization.html. 

Greater Masaka Region Young People's Health plan 2017-2021

At, MAHIPSO, this is Greater Masaka Region (Masaka, Ssembabule, Kyotera, Rakai, Kalungu, Bukomansimbi, Kalangala) Young People's Health plan 2017-2021 (Five Year):

1. We shall sensitize two health workers from all health centers that we are partner with So that they find ease When getting medication from those health centers. We work to create friendly health/SRH contexts.

2.We shall use different means to perform outreaches every week including use of music, dance, drama social media, direct services and networking.

3.We shall have blood donation drives as means of using social mobilisation Spaces to build knowledge for preserving Life. This Will be in partnership with Kitovu Regional Blood Bank.

4.Popularize safe medical Circumcision and cervical cancer examination events.

5.Sensitisation sessions Will be done using one on one and group sessions. Different themes Will be covered ranging from different issues such as condom usage, family planning,sexual Reproductive health,self esteem, life planning skills and financial development.

6.Immunisation of Our members against diseases such as Hepatitis and Yellow fever. This Will be done in partnership with the health centers.

7.Annual General meetings to be used as a retreat opportunity for young People.

Intimate partner violence (IPV)

The Webster and Oxford Dictionaries give intimacy as: something closely acquainted, familiar, close. It is something so dear, cherished, personal or private. Most likely to cause deeper friendship or sexual relation.

The Webster and Oxford Dictionaries give partner as: someone who takes part in an undertaking with another or others and shares benefits or risks.

The Webster and Oxford Dictionaries give violence as: behaviour involving physical force intended to damage, hurt, maim, destroy, kill someone or something.

Intimate partner is a lover.

According to CDC, Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious, preventable public health problem that affects many people in different ways. The term “intimate partner violence” describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. This type of violence can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not require sexual intimacy. For more: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/stryve/index.html. 

The goal is to stop IPV before it begins. There is a lot to learn about how to prevent IPV. We do know that strategies that promote healthy behaviors in relationships are important. Programmes that teach young people skills for dating can prevent violence. These programmes can stop violence in dating relationships before it occurs. 

When we talk of an intimate partner we talk of someone who is a current lover or someone who broke up a relation. Alcohol abuse, infidelity, power roles and tendencies to physically harm others are some of the reasons why we have instances of IPV.