Overcoming Barriers to Participation

What if you hold your workshop and no one shows up? You.re not alone - it has happened to almost every facilitator, but what can you do? Take some time to think about why people aren't coming and then make some changes to appeal to them. There are many barriers that stop people from coming to workshops, now try to reduce the barriers so that more people can participate.

Childcare is usually a big problem for parents. Think about the timing of your sessions so school-aged children are not affected:

• Are the sessions timed so that parents can pick up their children from school?
  
  
• Are the sessions on the weekend or evening when parents will have their children with them? Will you provide childcare and activities for the children?

Transportation can be a challenge for participants, especially when dealing with preschoolers and the northern weather. Here are a few suggestions for dealing with transportation:

• If your agency has transportation, you could pick up the participants.
• If no transportation is available, you can arrange for taxis to pick up participants. The program can either pay for the taxis or provide vouchers. It is important to make sure you build this into your workshop budget.
• Use a buddy system so participants with vehicles can pick up another person who lives close by.