Modern-Day Strategies for Community Engagement

How to Effectively Build Bridges Between People and the Bottom Line

MaKara Rumley

• Publisher: Purposely Created Publishing Group
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781644841310
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Media & Communications Industry
• Index: Business

Government agencies, corporations, and organizations have often experienced difficulty when trying to connect with the people who are most impacted by their projects. It is necessary to leave the office, get from behind the computer, and interact with people face-to-face. There is an art and process to engaging with your community-a group of people with shared commonality. This book serves as a primer for how the public and private sectors can interact with their customers and constituents in an authentic, equitable, and intentional manner.

In Modern-Day Strategies for Community Engagement: How to Effectively Build Bridges Between People and the Bottom Line, MaKara Rumley takes the reader through the process of effective community engagement. She sets the stage for why community engagement remains an invaluable tool when it comes to managing headline risk, maintaining project timelines, and ensuring good will. With Modern-Day Strategies for Community Engagement as a guide, the reader will engender confidence in their ability to implement measurable strategies and communicate using plain language that will resonate with their prioritized audience.

Chapter 1:

What Is Community Engagement?

 

The aim of community engagement is to better mobilize a group of people to achieve long-term and resilient outcomes, processes, relationships, discourse, decision- making, and/or implementation. To be successful, it must be culturally competent, reflecting the community context in which it occurs. Community engagement is intricate, layered, and ever changing, which is why a range of tools and strategies must be employed to ensure success. The only way that it can be done effectively is if trust is fostered and/or enhanced. Trust is the critical element in long- term, sustainable engagement and effective governance. It is therefore a strategic process with the specific purpose of working with identified groups of people, whether they are connected by geographic location, special interest, or affiliation to identify and address issues affecting their wellbeing. The connection of the terms “community” to “engagement” can sometimes be misleading in that members of a community have many commonalities while simultaneously possessing points of contention. In practice, community engagement is a blend of science and skill—it’s nuanced. The science comes from sociology, public policy, political science, cultural anthropology, organizational development, psychology, social psychology, and other disciplines. It also comes from organizing concepts drawn from the literature on community participation, community development, constituency building, and community psychology. The talent necessary to facilitate community engagement originates from the understanding and sensitivity used to apply and adapt the science in ways that fit the community and the purposes of specific collaboration efforts. The results of these activities may be defined differently and can encompass a broad range of structures (e.g., coalitions, partnerships, collaborations), but they all fall under the general rubric of community engagement and are treated similarly (adapted from Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [ATSDR], 2011). Community engagement can be complex, emotional, and labor intensive and requires dedicated resources such as time, funding, and people with the necessary skills. Citizens and leaders in communities across the United States, and indeed in many parts of the world, are struggling to make the right choices for the communities and issues they address. Building and implementing effective strategies requires a solid foundation in the best tools, techniques, and information available. The real challenge comes when there is a lack of understanding about what community engagement is and its importance throughout the lifespan of a project. Often this interaction is attempted after decisions are made, deposits have been paid, and contracts have been signed. Then comes backlash and rejection of a project that wasn’t properly vetted by the people who actually live in the neighborhood where the project is set to take place. Companies, government, and organizations often attempt to do community engagement in-house because they think that a Power Point presentation followed by a question and answer session will suffice. They don’t understand or respect the complexity and possible pitfalls of ill-prepared presentations and poorly timed meetings. As a result, developers, companies, and municipalities can be met with negative press, protests,   a misinformed community, and/or be looked upon despairingly by the public at large. Engagement is not outreach; engagement is not involvement. These terms are often used interchangeably with “engagement” but do not share the same methodologies or goals. Engagement builds relationships to facilitate an exchange of information and feedback to inform reaching a mutually beneficial result. It remains the proactive step that makes the most sense when handling potentially controversial projects and projects located in underserved communities. Also, because of the skill necessary to lead effective community engagement, choosing consultants who do not have specific expertise in this discipline can prove detrimental to all. Sufficient resources and time must be allocated to achieve reliable results and reach a modicum of success.

Case Study: Proctor Creek (Atlanta, GA)

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Urban Waters Initiative, Proctor Creek, located in Atlanta, GA, is a clear case study for what community engagement is. Proctor Creek winds through downtown Atlanta and eventually connects to the Chattahoochee River. It passes through many vulnerable neighborhoods, which include some of the most marginalized groups (low-wealth, seniors, high-crime, food deserts, lack of transportation, health disparities, high crime). This waterway is plagued with pollution, erosion, and high bacteria levels from regular stormwater flooding and sewage overflows. In particular, the poor ecological health of this urban creek is attributed to illegal tire dumping/litter and combined and sanitary sewer overflows (CSO and SSO). The communities surrounding Proctor Creek suffer public health threats related to flooding and pathogens released from sewer overflow discharges. As new development and gentrification occurred, environmental justice issues became more prominent. The area is characterized by numerous brownfields (former industrial use properties) and little greenspace. Stakeholders in this community decided to work together; community groups and local residents help set up water quality monitoring, volunteer cleanup efforts, and coalitions to speak out about water quality concerns to community leaders. Through engagement, these communities presently pool efforts to ensure noticeable improvements. They decided to meet these challenges head on by coming together, engaging, and building partnerships with governments, NGOs, foundations, corporations, and academics. Leading with the rich history of the area, residents want to benefit from community improvements and increase their quality of life. As a result, they have been intentional about expressing their vision for themselves, advocating with elected officials for marked improvements, and often stepping outside of their comfort zone to build resiliency and lasting progress. The necessary improvements that this watershed needs is still a work in progress. However, with effective community engagement from all stakeholders, the goal of transforming this community will be reached. This is what community engagement is.

 

Have you witnessed community engagement in in your neighborhood?

Have you been involved with a project that would have proved more successful if community engagement was activated?

Have you witnessed a project that titled their interaction as community engagement, but participants didn’t feel included in decision making?

Use this page to write down your experiences and stories with projects in your neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

 

WE CANNOT LIVE ONLY

FOR OURSELVES.

A THOUSAND FIBERS CONNECT

US WITH OUR FELLOW MEN.

 

—Herman Melville

Chapter 2:

Why...