The purpose of this section is to kick off the training in a positive manner, help participants connect with one another, and introduce the general topics that will be covered in the training.

The learning activities in this section are designed to engage participants with the subject material using informative and interactive approaches. Instructors will need to determine which, if not all, of these activities to carry out depending on a) participants’ learning needs and interests, b) the focus of the training, and c) time available.

Instructors are encouraged to prepare for each activity by reviewing the handouts to be given to participants and by reading the recommended resource papers and materials that are listed. These papers and materials, along with other relevant resources, will provide useful background information to assist in fulfilling the purpose of this section. The amount of time suggested for each activity should be adjusted as needed.

Purpose: To welcome everyone, make brief introductions, and engage in an opening exercise that accentuates the importance of listening in outreach.

Time: 15-25 minutes

Materials: None

Preparation:

Review the preface section to the curriculum, especially the Tips for Trainers section. This will provide a backdrop to your approach to the modules, providing reminders about setting up the learning environment and creating a positive tone for the training.

Remember the curriculum is a guideline, not a prescription. Adapt it in such a way that it works for you and for your audience. Let the curriculum material engage you so that you will be able to present the material in a manner that engages others.

Procedure:

1. Greet participants as they arrive. Start on time and welcome them to the training. If the space is unfamiliar, note where the bathrooms are and other information about the facilities. Invite everyone to partake of refreshments if they are being provided (always a good idea!).

2. As needed, briefly introduce yourself and have others introduce themselves.

3. Explain to the group that the opening exercise is designed to help people become better acquainted with one another. It also involves two of the most important aspects of outreach: story and listening.

4. Have everyone find a partner and sit where they can converse and have some privacy from others in the group.

5. Each partner is given three to five minutes to tell a story from personal experience that starts with "I want to tell you about the time when ……" (Alternatively, story-tellers might be invited to give a brief chronology of their life, recount a particularly significant event they experienced, tell about an influential person, or talk about future aspirations.)

6. As one partner shares, the other listens attentively but without verbally responding or interjecting her/his own thoughts. The listener’s task is simply to listen well. Non-verbal responses such as nods and knowing smiles are permitted, but no words.

7. After the speaker has finished, the listener is to respond by summarizing what he/she heard. This summary, a form of reflective listening, should be brief, attempting to communicate the "core information and meaning" of the message.

8. Partners then switch roles and proceed in the same manner as described above.

9. Bring the group back together and invite comments on what this experience was like both from the perspective of the teller and that of the listener. Often, listeners will report on how difficult it was to refrain from making comments. Typically, tellers will report how nice (and rare) it was to be listened to so attentively.

Purpose: To familiarize participants with the "roadmap" for the training and to decide with the group where to place the most time and emphasis along the way.

Time: 10 minutes

Materials: Handout: Outreach Curriculum Outline

Preparation: Review the curriculum outline so you are familiar with it.

Procedure:

1. Provide each participant with a copy of the curriculum outline handout. Lead them on a brief tour of the outline as a whole, or at least the parts of it that you intend to cover during the course of the training. This will help orient them to the "big picture" of the outreach training. If you were a photographer, this would be the panoramic shot using a wide-angle lens.
2. As you describe the topics to be covered, determine from the group which areas are of particular interest to them. This information can help you gauge where to put extra emphasis as you proceed through the training. Training is most effective when it is tailored to the needs of your particular audience.

Purpose: To introduce the Relational Outreach and Engagement Model (ROEM) which provides a framework for the structure of the curriculum and its content

Time: 30 minutes

Materials:

Preparation:

Read the resource paper and handouts. Familiarize yourself with the ROEM model. Note the characteristics and specific activities associated with the four stages represented in the model. The handout, "He Sat Slumped on a Park Bench …," provides a case illustration of movement through these stages.

In addition, think of an outreach case example with which you are personally familiar and reflect how it developed through the relational phases as described in the model.

Note that these relationships seldom develop in a smooth, linear fashion. Some never make it beyond the approach phase. Relatively few make it to the mutuality stage. Movement into the partnership stage might take a little time or a very long time depending on client readiness and resource availability. Be sure to emphasize that this is not a static model when presenting it to the class.

Procedure:

1. Refer participants to the handouts: Relational Stages of Outreach and Engagement, Activities Along the Outreach and Engagement Continuum, and the ROEM Diagram. Give a presentation on the content in these handouts that describe the four stages of the Relational Outreach and Engagement Model and the outreach worker’s activities associated with each stage on the continuum.
2. Next, have someone read aloud the case example in "He Sat Slumped on a Park Bench …" Use this outreach encounter to illustrate and discuss the relational phases in the Relational Outreach and Engagement Model.
3. Ask for case examples from the group that might illustrate some or all of these stages of the outreach relationship.
4. Provide some time for discussion and questions. Note that the model itself will be explored in greater depth throughout the course of the training.

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This project was funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the Health Care for the Homeless Branch, Division of Programs for Special Populations of the Bureau of Primary Health Care/HRSA January 2002.