Connect with local community organizations and leaders. It is important to acknowledge that there are organizations and leaders that are doing this work in the community. Reaching out to connect and set up times to chat about their experience, observations and gather input is essential to ensuring you are getting diverse input. It is also important to build these relationships and allow for the members of these organizations to have a say. This is also a great way to connect with them and potentially collaborate on having events community events to gather input and feedback. Using surveys and having empathy interviews with people is also important to gather input.

Focus Groups: Dive deeper into specific needs through guided discussions with targeted groups. Community Meetings: Foster collective brainstorming in open forums to gather varied perspectives. Individual Interviews: Amplify marginalized voices with personal, in-depth conversations. Social media: Leverage social media polls, apps, and messaging platforms for broader reach and engagement.

List the beneficiaries clearly. Start with an open mind and unbiased approach. Build trust so they open up with their story. During one of the community programs 3 months into outreach we had no success. Upon investigation into past interactions with few representatives I figured majority of this community was active on facebook and WhatsApp groups than on instagram and LinkedIn. I joined these groups, participated in their discussions and reading through their shares gave better insights needed to design the community programs. We need to be prepared to meet them at a place where they are comfortable engaging with us and if we have to go back a few decades with technology, so be it!

I listen, especially before putting an agenda or public announcement together. I want to create a discussion that allows diverse views to be heard, to allow diverse attendance, and to invite diverse dialogue in response. I work to include, to be safe and mindful, and to embrace dissent while planning, as those same values will be shown in any program created.

Effective information gathering and community participation is critical for an effective and sustainable community programme. It is vital to involve local community and their leadership from the onset and throughout the project cycle. There are number of participatory approaches that are applicable and these have to be suitable and user friendly for the various stakeholders including beneficiaries and leaders so that they own the programme. It is critical that a stakeholders, analysis is undertaken whereby various stakeholders and their interests is analysed. This will help in information gathering and its triangulation. Formulation of SMART objectives or goals with objectively verifiable indicators is critical.

Go to where your ideal candidates are. Visit community centers and churches in the area. Get to know the thought leaders in that area, and they will help get you in the door if they believe in your program and believe it will benefit the community. Ask questions, gauge interest, and get feedback on what is resonating and what is not. You may think you have a great program, but if no one buys in, it will not be successful. Be cautious about going in to "save" this community that may not want you to save them. Once you have gotten feedback, you may need to go back and reimagine your program to fit the actual needs and desires.

The screening process is outdated and does not measure foreign doctors' intelligence and clinical experience. That needs to be revamped. It eliminates good, caring physicians and favors doctors with great test-taking skills.

One thing I've found very critical is the ability to blend in with the communities I work with or intend to get information from. I am always interested in learning from them more than them learning from me...so the interventions should really come in to provide clarity and context to their issues. I am always deliberate about creating that bond with them before and in this getting information becomes easy because of the friendly environment and trust established.