Community engagement is the practice of mutual decision-making that puts community members first. It fosters trust between people and bolsters long-term resilience.
Access and inclusion are at the core of our work. It ensures that local people have access to valued social settings and activities and feel empowered to shape those experiences for themselves.
What is community engagement?
Community engagement is a strategic approach to relationships, communication and interactions that seeks to bring about desired outcomes for both communities and organizations. It may take many forms – from planning with people directly, facilitating participatory spaces or building trust – but always with an aim towards attaining specific results.
Community engagement involves learning about and understanding a community’s social networks, constraints, culture, values, history and perceptions while engaging stakeholders on their terms – something which may prove challenging in situations of dissent and places with low levels of trust.
Community engagement aims to foster connection and increase a sense of ownership and responsibility for projects, policies and decisions by creating two-way dialogue and making sure marginalized and disadvantaged groups’ voices are heard by identifying stakeholder groups that need engaging strategies tailored specifically for them. Furthermore, this process establishes open lines of communication while informing stakeholders regularly of developments.
What are the benefits of community engagement?
Community engagement is founded on the democratic idea that those affected by an issue should have an opportunity to participate in its decision making and contribute meaningfully towards driving social transformation. It can provide a great vehicle for social transformation.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that the definition of community can differ significantly depending on who is being considered: from all inhabitants in a township, through specific interest groups such as churches or environmental organizations.
Building relationships and communicating with stakeholders takes time, which may prove challenging when faced with obstacles like lack of trust and competing priorities.
Engagement between organizations and communities pays dividends on both sides. It can strengthen ties, build trust, promote sincere collaboration and foster greater collective self-efficacy and resilience among participants, creating sustainable partnerships beyond a single project; something especially useful for organizations needing to comply with regulatory requirements regarding projects that will impact local populations.
How can we engage with communities?
Professionals, organizations and industries all have their own definition of community engagement that may differ significantly; it must always include strategies and processes tailored to fit within its surrounding community environment.
Community participation must be done sincerely, giving them meaningful involvement in decision-making that impacts them and supporting their efforts for change. Furthermore, it should be implemented over time instead of project by project.
Consider offering multiple avenues of engagement, such as a discussion forum, email blasts, face-to-face meetings, public exhibitions and surveys. By giving people various methods of participation you will ensure you capture a wider group of stakeholders with different needs, preferences, abilities and demographics.
Municipalities might consider offering a “Lunch with the Mayor” project where platform participants can enter their names into a raffle for one of eight lunch seats available to them. This can help engage people and demonstrate that their opinions matter; additionally, this shows members’ comments will be taken seriously and action taken accordingly.
How can we make community engagement work for us?
Community engagement is an integral component of modern democracies. It empowers citizens to influence public decision-making processes and enhance local quality of life, which in turn impacts public decision making processes. Community engagement’s roots can be found in various social, cultural, and political movements such as neighborhood associations or civil rights activism.
As part of implementing a community engagement strategy, it is vital to understand the needs and desires of the local population. Doing this will allow you to craft an actionable plan with clear SMART goals (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound) set as targets for your project.
Consideration should also be given to the individual needs and limitations of stakeholders when selecting engagement methods to implement. For example, those without internet access might not be able to participate in an online survey while those living in remote locations might require face-to-face meetings in order to provide their feedback.