Recruitment

• Author: Daniel Amine, Barbara Tint, and Mindy Johnston
• Pages: 41-47

Recruitment 41

Introduction

During our work, we found that the recruitment of participants was one of the most

important phases of the project. The term recruitment refers to the process of

identifying, attracting, screening, and selecting potential participants for dialogue.

This process can be very challenging when working with communities with long

historical tensions, and our experience proved to be no exception. Because the

project was new and unknown, it was often met with resistance on the part of

community members. Obtaining commitment was very difficult given the commu-

nities’ skepticism, and under circumstances in which people were leading compli-

cated, busy, and stressful lives. Additionally, sometimes people would commit to

participating, but then not follow through. Understandably, the initial phase of

recruitment was the most difficult; subsequent efforts were easier as word of the

dialogue groups’ success spread quickly.

For our project, we were fortunate in that we had a half‐time staff person whose job

it was to serve as community liaison and manage recruitment. It was a very demanding

role and one that required patience, flexibility, persistence, humor, and generosity,

along with a strong network of people who could assist with these efforts. In designing

the recruitment process, it was crucial to develop effective strategies that maximized

interest and minimized barriers to participation. The following are our best practice

recommendations for recruitment, based on our experience in these efforts.

Consultation andResearch

Consultation with multiple stakeholders and research on the communities in

question are crucial to the recruitment process, providing team members with

increased knowledge and awareness of the groups with which they will be working.

This is particularly helpful and important for those who are outsiders to the com-

munities in question. These efforts provide information about the historical and

cultural background of the participants and increased understanding of community

needs. This step also assists in minimizing cultural mistakes in the development,

planning, and implementation of the dialogue groups. Effective consultation and

research should include the following:

● Consult with other professionals and organizations that have experience working

with the populations you are hoping to engage. This will not only provide

essential information for your efforts, but also give credibility to the reconcilia-

tion efforts through partnering with established organizations.

● Engage with community members who are bicultural in that they understand

their own communities deeply, but also understand and can navigate the terrain

of the host world. Often these are community members who have been in the

diaspora for a long time and/or have worked in social service agencies connected

to the refugee communities.