A Guide to Community Engagement & Outreach for ...
connectedcommunities.ca
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10 Tip Print your flyers in colour, if possible. People will be more attracted to the flyer and it will seem more legitimate and professional. All outreach materials should be written in clearly and concisely. Do not overload promotional materials with information it should only contain the information that is necessary. For example, if you are holding an event, the flyer should only include: Title of the event Short explanation of the event (1 sentence) Event objectives or why people should participate Date, time and location of your event ontact information Provide translated materials. When possible, provide translated materials to communities with a high population of members who are not as experienced reading in English. Know your audience and use appropriate messaging. Different communities respond messages differently. When writing your material, consider whether your language is too formal, not formal enough, needs visual material, needs large print, and so on. If you are holding an event that welcomes everyone from the community want them there. If the event is limited to certain members of the community, be clear to mention that in your materials. Connect with a variety of resident leaders and other community organizers. Tap into their networks. Spreading the word is much quicker and easier you involve other leaders and organizers in the community. Be ready to provide extra copies of your materials (along with your contact information) so that others can hand them out. Go to where the people are. In order to reach a wide audience and engage those who might not be naturally attracted to getting involved in their communities, make sure that you do outreach where people are. For example, frequent malls, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and community centers. “Start outreach between two-three weeks before your event, and gear up as the event gets closer!” 12 Building a Strong Community: Best Practices - Lois Gibbs ommunity engagement is a process that process takes time and effort. It requires bringing people together, establishing trust and relationships, developing collective goals, building capacity and working to create change. Community engagement is about building consensus, identifying community needs and creating momentum within communities to address issues and create solutions. The change that results from community engagement can be change in attitudes, building social capital or promoting economic and environmental development. Below are eight examples of best practices when building strong community engagement in Scarborough. 1. Meaningful Inclusion Community engagement is not about consultation or representation. This kind of can be seen as tokenism* or rubberstamping. It can be ineffective and counterproductive, leaving community members feeling used and angry. Meaningful inclusion is about involving the community in identifying problems and opportunities, and creating solutions on their own terms. This could include involving community members in planning local policies or projects or participating in a community barbeque. The more ambitious levels of engagement include elements of empowerment and development. This enables the community to envision its own future and actively participate in making this vision happen. The goal is community development - to improve the quality of life of individuals in the community. Having community members take part in the process every step of the way not only improves effective community engagement, but it also legitimizes your efforts as well. While including all stakeholders* in the community development process is evidently important, there are some challenges to ensuring its practices. Communities are made of people who have a wide and diverse set of interests, knowledge, experiences, and concerns.
10 Tip Print your flyers in colour, if possible. People will be more attracted to the flyer and it will seem more legitimate and professional. All outreach materials should be written in clearly and concisely. Do not overload promotional materials with information it should only contain the information that is necessary. For example, if you are holding an event, the flyer should only include: Title of the event Short explanation of the event (1 sentence) Event objectives or why people should participate Date, time and location of your event ontact information Provide translated materials. When possible, provide translated materials to communities with a high population of members who are not as experienced reading in English. Know your audience and use appropriate messaging. Different communities respond messages differently. When writing your material, consider whether your language is too formal, not formal enough, needs visual material, needs large print, and so on. If you are holding an event that welcomes everyone from the community want them there. If the event is limited to certain members of the community, be clear to mention that in your materials. Connect with a variety of resident leaders and other community organizers. Tap into their networks. Spreading the word is much quicker and easier you involve other leaders and organizers in the community. Be ready to provide extra copies of your materials (along with your contact information) so that others can hand them out. Go to where the people are. In order to reach a wide audience and engage those who might not be naturally attracted to getting involved in their communities, make sure that you do outreach where people are. For example, frequent malls, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and community centers. “About a week before the event, it is good to follow up with people that you spoke to or emailed.” 12 Building a Strong Community: Best Practices - Lois Gibbs ommunity engagement is a process that process takes time and effort. It requires bringing people together, establishing trust and relationships, developing collective goals, building capacity and working to create change. Community engagement is about building consensus, identifying community needs and creating momentum within communities to address issues and create solutions. The change that results from community engagement can be change in attitudes, building social capital or promoting economic and environmental development. Below are eight examples of best practices when building strong community engagement in Scarborough. 1. Meaningful Inclusion Community engagement is not about consultation or representation. This kind of can be seen as tokenism* or rubberstamping. It can be ineffective and counterproductive, leaving community members feeling used and angry. Meaningful inclusion is about involving the community in identifying problems and opportunities, and creating solutions on their own terms. This could include involving community members in planning local policies or projects or participating in a community barbeque. The more ambitious levels of engagement include elements of empowerment and development. This enables the community to envision its own future and actively participate in making this vision happen. The goal is community development - to improve the quality of life of individuals in the community. Having community members take part in the process every step of the way not only improves effective community engagement, but it also legitimizes your efforts as well. While including all stakeholders* in the community development process is evidently important, there are some challenges to ensuring its practices. Communities are made of people who have a wide and diverse set of interests, knowledge, experiences, and concerns.
The groups of youth we were interested in engaging did not find value in our large event, and thought If we had organized a few smaller events more local to youth, then perhaps some may have been more interested in attending. “In order to continue to build trust, it is important to let community members know that you are dedicated and there to genuinely help the community, rather than meet a project mandate.” 24 7. Respond to the needs of the community as a way to engage Sometimes, the simplest commitment through community engagement can be overlooked. By simply asking the community what they are interested in and what they would like to see happen in the community, groups and individuals are given a wide range of how they can respond adequately to engage the community. Community needs can be as simple as needing more lighting on a particular street, to needing a space to practice English conversation skills. These simple needs are not only easy to respond to (given adequate time, dedication, and sometimes resources), but also lay a strong foundation to building engagement within the community in a meaningful way. 8. Think about your language They way you communicate information is a pillar to effective community engagement. Depending on your personal biases, or the approach you or your organization takes, the language used can be engaging for one group, but not as engaging for another. Consider a community group going to give a workshop on Precarious work has increased in this region over the l Short-term and contract jobs In your approach to engagement, think critically about the kinds of words you use, and how you chose to express the message. If you don hand, be creative and go with the flow of the participants! We worked on things people could relate to When we wanted to engage Newcomers, we at first tried to have a newcomer focus group. Only 3 people showed up. We then used that opportunity to ask them what newcomers needed in the community, their response was that they needed an English Conversation Circle. As a result, ANC got a volunteer and organized an English Circle and over 40 women showed up. The lesson we learned was that the best way to engage is through concrete tangible things that people can relate to and that people need...
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