Health Promotion 

TIPS ON HOW TO RUN A COMMUNITY PROJECT:

 

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1. Choose a person in your team to become the project leader for your project,

2. Choose and stick to a topic that is health related, relevant, feasible, accessible, cost-efficient, ethical, effective and successful,

3. Decide what is it that your team wants to change in relation to your chosen topic and participants/sample involved in your project (mission/objective/s),

4. Decide how many participants your group needs in order for the project to take effect,

5. Contact relevant persons/NGO’s/NPO’s to help your group obtain a sample relevant to your project,

6. Decide where the community project will take place (venue),  

7. Decide on the number of sessions that your group will need to do in order to carry out the project,

8. Book the venue in advance for the number of planned sessions, 

9. Consider how your class will deal with issues around transportation between campus and your community project location,

10. Consider ways to obtain funds for serving refreshments for each session,

11. Consider what type of food that your sample/participants will most likely eat in order for your project to take effect,

12. Make sure that refreshments are prepared for each session,

13. Speak to your project coordinator about the possibility of assisting with funds and issues of reimbursement for any costs related to the project,

14. Find ways to market and mobilize your community project,

15. Plan the designing/printing phases of posters/fliers,

16. Consider creating a twitter and facebook page to market your community project,

17. Be sensitive to demographic factors and confidentiality issues (ethical considerations),

18. Make certain that no harm is done to your participants, physically, mentally and emotionally,

19. Anticipate language barriers between your group as researchers and participants and consider ways to counteract this possibility,

20. Select reliable and appropriate gatekeepers,

21. Obtain permission from gatekeepers to run the project,

22. Form a consistent healthy relationship with gatekeepers,

23. Find other appropriate ways (other than the sessions) to engage with your participants on a personal or community level,

24. Get permission to take pictures/videos and record sessions from gatekeepers and participants/sample,

25. Document details of your social assessment and decide on themes to be explored for subsequent sessions,

26. During your social assessment (and subsequent sessions), consider what your participants believe are the best possible solutions/interventions for the phenomenon/s that your project is exploring,

27. Prepare for each session on a weekly basis,

28. Read on topic’s themes and subthemes for each session,

29. Design activities for each session,

30. Prepare yourselves with relevant equipment/materials that your group may need for each session,

31. Keep a register of participant’s attendance, contact details and demographic details (personal information),

32. Appoint different facilitators for each session,

33. Consider relevant guest speakers to present information for each session on chosen topic/s/theme/s to your sample,

34. Take pictures/videos and record sessions,

35. Focus on logistics/optics for each plenary and group session, and critically reflect on these issues,

36. Document issues around time and management of sessions,

37. Document participants reception of the guest speakers and of the content that the guest speakers delivered to the participants,

38. Document the process of participation, (negative/positive outcomes)

39. Document positive, negative, similar and differing responses for each session, and the implications of these,

40. Document issues around willingness and unwillingness of participants to participate in different activities and discussions,

41. Take down relevant information during each session and do reports for all findings,

42. Consider various ways to deal with participation process obstacles,

43. Document issues around group and power dynamics, 

44. Document the exit strategy for all sessions and the process involved, (negative/positive outcomes),

45. Discuss issues of sustainability with the community/sample/participants and other relevant health NGO’s/NPO’s,

46. Consider possible and appropriate incentives/rewards for the participants participation (such as certificates),

47. Design consent forms, surveys, questionnaires & evaluation forms beforehand and perform these when appropriate,

48. Meet with your project coordinator on a regular basis for any guidance, direction, insight, corrections, feedback and input,

49. Create a whatsapp group with your team to discuss the project on a regular basis,

50. Maintain a healthy, consistent and communicative relationship with your team in order for your project to take effect,

51. Equally share the task responsibilities/costs among your group members as each part of the project needs to reflect all personalities of the group as part of their required contribution,

52. Meet on a regular basis to focus on the work plan for the project,

53. Set deadlines and do your best to stick to these,

54. Be open to barriers and rescheduling some sessions,

55. Be open to changes and improvement of your project as time goes along as some or all initial planning may not work,

56. Start preparing the write up report and presentation as soon as possible,

57. Make sure that your topic, problem statement, objectives/aims, research questions, introduction, literature review, theory/theoretical framework, methodology, data collected, results, analysis, limitations & recommendations, conclusion, themes, activities/discussions, intervention/project and your evaluation are in line with each other,

58. Start and update the website regularly,

59. Document any or all difficulties, challenges, failures and successes of the abovementioned procedures.

60. Work hard and don’t take time for granted. Start as soon as possible.