- YPAGs NEED young people as members - recruitment can be difficult
- Use several methods of recruitment to invite as many diverse groups of young people as possible
- Ensure meetings are fun, informative and a valuable use of the young person's time - this improves retention
Key points
Recruitment
Once you have decided the purpose of your group, the age range of your members, and the location and frequency of meetings it is essential to start recruiting young people. This is an ongoing process throughout the lifetime of the group as members grow older, move from the area, or change their priorities.
YPAG members can be children or young people with a chronic condition, have been regular attendees at hospital, have a sibling with a chronic condition, or have an interest in improving health care and medical research. If you adopt different recruitment strategies you have a higher chance of recruiting a diverse group of young people, with a range of backgrounds and health conditions, that are as representative of society as possible.
Recruitment strategies
- Open Day – hold an Open Day to inform young people about your group
- Leaflets, posters and application forms can be distributed in the hospital by staff, or left in out-patients and clinical research facilities
- Ask specialist nurses and research nurses to become your YPAG ambassadors and inform patients and their siblings about the YPAG
- Send out information via your staff intranet
- Contact hospital patient forums
- Advertise on social media, Facebook pages, and Twitter.
- Contact schools, youth groups
Click to download a PDF of the sample flyer.
Click to download a PDF of the poster
Click to download a PDF of the form