Maximizing Community Engagement

Maximizing Community Engagement was the title of our tele-learning event with host Donna Jean Forster from Tamarack Institute last week. Much to our shock and delight - we broke the record with the highest registrations to date.  So what is it about Community Engagement that has struck a chord with people across North America? Why are people so eager to connect and learn about this topic?  Is there something about where we are socially that calls out for a renewed interest or deeper learning about how to engage with others?

Let's start with a few definitions of what community engagement is...

Put simply, community engagement is the process of involving people in decisions that affect them. This can mean involving communities in the planning, development and management of services.   - from a great how-to guide by The Scottish Government.

Loosely defined, community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people. It is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members. It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices (Fawcett et al., 1995). - by the Centre for Disease Control

 Based on our research, we understand community engagement to be “people working collaboratively, through inspired action and learning, to create and realize bold visions for their common future.” - by Tamarack Institute, who have done considerable work gathering resources on the topic.



From our interview in Donna Jean, there were a number of questions that we believe get to the heart of people's interest. We were asked;

1.  If we want to improve engagement in our communities we need to understand what personally engages us. How do we uncover that and what benefits does that bring to the engagement process?

2.  Communities are groups of people. What are some of the best ways to understand this group, engage them and move forward in addressing complex issues?

3.  What are some of the traps to avoid when we are working with or living in community?

All great questions!  How would you answer them?

See the Tamarack website for an audio recording of the interview - and check here back next week as we begin to answer them within our blog.