Wheeling Walks Training Manual

The Community Health Participatory Planning Model (CHPP)

 

The Community Health Participatory Planning Model (CHPP) has four phases including the 12-week participatory planning program for: (1) assessing the community needs and interests, (2) planning, (3) designing, (4) implementing, and (5) evaluating the media-based community walking intervention.  In addressing personal risk factor reduction, participants experience firsthand community and personal barriers to walking for health, transportation, and leisure.  As a result, planning for community wide walking related changes is informed by individual efforts toward personal change.  The structure also provides a synergistic setting for critical insight and problem solving. 

The structure of the Community Health Participatory Planning Model enables participants to identify and mobilize community resources to overcome barriers to establishing health in a community.  The shared frustration commonly involved in the process can contribute to group cohesion as well as to greater appreciation of the value of both personal and community support.  Such direct involvement in the process is known to help overcome resistance to change and, at the same time, to mobilize the talents, energy, and insights of all members.7-10  In addition, a participatory planning approach essentially mandates program ownership.  People who have meaningful input develop a commitment to the success of their program.

PHASE I:      involves one or two interested individual(s) deciding to address the promotion of walking in the local community.

PHASE II:    these interested individual(s) then recruit 5-6 additional individuals to work as a Steering Committee for the local effort.  The Steering Committee firms up plans for the 12-week participatory planning program and recruits 20-60 members to participate in the program and form a Community Advisory Committee.  Steering Committee members ensure that individuals from all sectors of the community are involved.

PHASE III:   is the 12-week Community Health Participatory Planning program in which participants learn more about and address walking as part of a healthy lifestyle, and, at the same time, develop plans for promoting walking in their community.

PHASE IV:   the Community Advisory Committee gets itself legitimized in the community (recognition by the mayor or another political entity), implements, and evaluates the Wheeling (replaced by the name of your community) Walks model.

Suggested BUDGET for a Community Health Participatory Planning Program
Coordinator 10 hours a week for 16 weeks, or 160 hrs. $15/hr. or $20/hr. if trained at Masters-level (See Coordinator Job Description for more info.)	$2,400   /   $3,200
Travel	200            200
Supplies	200            200
Communications (telephone, fax, e-mail)	150            150
	$2,950   /    $3,750

 

Community Health Participatory Planning CHPP: PHASES I & II

Process Detail – Recruiting Steering Committee and Participatory Planning Members

1.  The process commences with the interest of one or two people in a goal of targeting the promotion of a walking campaign in the local community.

2.  These one or two invite others (not more than five) from the community who are keenly interested in the promotion of physical activity (exercise) and walking to become a local Steering Committee. We like to include a cross section of community members and stakeholders.  Ideally, the gender, income, and education levels of the participants will reflect the community members we want to include in the overall Participatory Planning process.

3.  The Steering Committee meets for 90 minutes once a week for 3-5 weeks:

• At the first steering committee meeting thoroughly explain and discuss the intent of the Participatory Planning process (for more detailed information, read Chapters 4 and 5) on how Participatory Planning is essential to community ownership of the campaign. 
• Give preliminary thought to the comprehensiveness of the social marketing campaign the community might undertake.  

Tasks Include:

• review the CHPP Model and develop a one-page concept paper that includes a statement on:
  • walking campaign goal
  • mission statement for Community Advisory Committee
  • brief summary of the problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, etc
  • why participatory planning is so important to the success of the walking campaign
  • the challenge and how it won’t happen unless WE do it.
• discuss, at some length, the challenges and benefits of implementing a community walking campaign
• thoroughly review the CHPP Model
• identify seed money for this planning process
• identify meeting times and places, and sessions presenters
• decide who might serve as a coordinator of the effort, working quarter-time (10 hours a week) for 15 weeks (paid $15/hr. / $20, if Master-level training). (See Job Description below.)
• set the date of the first meeting (1-2 months hence)

Who should be invited to join the Participatory Planning?  The best advice is to be inclusive.  However, potential participants should be informed that this program requires a significant time commitment for 12 weeks.  Members should include several well-respected agencies such as the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, Kiwanis, etc.  Solicit names of potential participants from businesses, agencies, churches, schools, civic and community organizations that have status or importance in the community.  Include natural leaders and spokespersons for the community, especially persons of low income and education levels.  These latter groups tend to be under represented in organizational efforts.

Ask the Steering Committee members to provide names, positions, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of people they feel may be interested in the campaign.  Make this step easier by obtaining all the contact information at one meeting. 

With a name and some contact information the process becomes fairly easy.  Ask the steering committee members to bring their address books to the first steering committee meeting.  The purpose of the steering committee is to help form a large group to participate in the 12-week Participatory Planning sessions.

Other community members, such as homemakers, teachers, and students, will hear about the campaign and will want to become involved.  Make a commitment to involve all interested individuals as early and as much as possible.  These individuals will prove to be invaluable resources.  Their initiative to voluntarily email or call about the campaign is an indication of their commitment to make a difference personally and globally.

Note:  This list includes maximum ethnic, socio-economic, professional/non-professional, and geographically diversity; and mover-and-shaker-type individuals in the local community.  This broad-based involvement is inherent to the participatory planning approach.11-12

How many should be invited?   Approximately 20-60 participants are preferable.  The location of the sessions may dictate how many people can be invited.  It is important to ensure parking availability and that persons with disabilities can easily access the facility. 

Note:  Encourage the development of personal and professional support systems during this stage of the campaign.  Relationship development encourages participants to reach the campaign goal – significant behavior change and improved well-being.

4.  Steering Committee members call prospective members to invite them to participate.  The coordinator follows up

• sends a printed invitation that includes the one-page concept paper;
• calls key people to ensure they will participate in the 12 week-program;
• assists the Steering Committee members; and
• makes arrangements for the 12 sessions.

Recruitment vehicles:

• advertisements in local newspapers
• flyers distributed to interested people
• posters
• presentations to appropriate community organizations
• personal invitations to key leaders and decision makers--administrators, natural helpers, and other individuals in positions of authority and/or influence. 
• special efforts focused on laborers, lower-income, and minority groups, which are typically underrepresented in health programs.13-16

Planning the first Community Participatory Planning sessions
Timing is everything.  Be sure to schedule the sessions at a convenient time for participants.  If you have adequate resources to encourage maximum participation, you may want to schedule the same session at two separate times on the same day, or on two different days.    For example, Session 1 can be scheduled on Tuesday, October 16 at 12 noon and again at 6:00PM.  Or, Session 1 can be scheduled on Tuesday, October 16 at 12 noon and on Thursday October 18 at 6:00 PM.  If you plan to have two sessions, consider scheduling them in different locations.  This approach often leads to a more diverse attendance and it is an excellent way to accommodate busy people with random schedules. 

Note:  If you schedule only one session, consider beginning at 5 PM.  This allows for both workers and non-workers to attend since blue and white collar workers will be participating, the 5-6:00 pm time seems to work reasonably well. 

Note: If you schedule a session at two separate times/locations, be sure to schedule the same speaker/facilitator for both sessions. 

Location: It is also very important to choose a central location with:

• air conditioning or heating appropriate for the time of year
• good parking
• comfortable seating
• kitchen facilities (highly recommended)
• tables
• good acoustics
• adequate lighting

The Framework of a productive session

• Begin and end on time, always.
• Set-up a welcoming table for participants to sign-in and pick-up handouts.
• Use nametags every session. It is best to use first names. This will help keep everyone on a personal level and will help participants, and you, to learn names.
• Assign a greeter to welcome participants and to fill-in the seats closer to the front first.
• Ask steering committee members to come early to the first session to help with introductions.
• Offer a warm welcome every week.
• Encourage participants to dress casually.
• Be sure the room is arranged to allow for small group discussions.
• Ask often and early in the process – “Who is not here that should be?”

Note:  When an individual is recommended, get his/her name and contact information.  Make the contact and ask the person suggesting the name to also contact the individual about the project.

Think Diversity
After the first session, review the participant list.  Do the participants represent the community?  Is there anyone missing?  Do you have a nice mix of males and females? 

Note:  Be sure all ethnic and racial groups in the community, as well as age ranges, are represented. 

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