Introduction To Program Planning

This workshop is being provided in partnership with The Health Communication Unit at the Centre for Health Promotion at the University of Toronto.

This workshop introduces participants to the specifics of program planning in the context of working with multiple stakeholders, complex issues, and building upon community capacity.  Content will focus on some key tasks such as developing outcome objectives, as well as tools and approaches to overcoming common barriers to effective program planning. 

Description

This workshop introduces participants to program planning in the context of human services, including: working with many stakeholders; addressing issues in a broad context; and building upon community capacities. Other topics covered include: developing situational assessments, goals and objectives conducive to evaluation; and selecting strategies and activities for programs. A logic model framework will be used to guide the planning process. Participants will gain a greater understanding of program planning through the workshop lectures, practical small group exercises and a variety of handout materials.

This workshop adpats materials from THCU which can be viewed at:

http://www.thcu.ca/infoandresources/planning_resources.htm

Examples will be largely based on workshop participants' experiences identified through a pre-workshop needs assessment and group excercises throughout the day.

Who Should Attend?

This introductory workshop is intended for human service practitioners interested in comprehensive planning processes, particularly those who can apply what they have learned to a specific community or project.

• Social and Health Service Agency Workers
• Board Members
• Program Managers & Leaders
• Program Coordinators

Goal

To assist agencies and individuals involved in human service initiatives to plan projects in organizational and community settings

Workshop Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• apply a practical model of program planning to projects in organizational and community settings
• conduct a situational assessment for a human service project
• develop goals, objectives and success indicators
• identify strategies, activities, resources and timelines
• identify some tools and approaches to common barriers to an effective planning process