Organize the Community for Action

Raising awareness

Participation (or the lack thereof) is also a function of whether or not people are aware of and concerned about the particular health issue. Where awareness and concern are high, it is generally much easier to stimulate participation. In this case, all you may need to do is be sure that community members hear about the program and know that they are invited to participate in meetings and activities. The CM program team should also decide how to balance participation so that those who need to be heard have the opportunity to have a voice.

Where awareness and concern are low, however, the CM program team will need to direct its attention to raising awareness. This can be done in a variety of ways, including:

• Identifying those individuals and groups that have the most direct experience with the CM health issue, even if there may only be a small number who want to participate at first.

• Launching a general awareness campaign through local media, community meetings, enlisting spokespeople, and so forth.

• Advocating the importance of the CM health issue with local leaders, using data, studies, critical incidents (such as death or illness), and other means so that local leaders put the CM health issue on their agenda.

• Sharing comparative data with the entire community on the prevalence of the CM health issue in their own community relative to other communities to emphasize the need for action.

Factors which influence participation
Overcoming barriers and resistance to participation