Community Science WHAT CAN YOU DO TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY? KIEN LEE, Ph.D. Principal Associate/Vice President

Transcription

1 Cmmunity Science WHAT CAN YOU DO TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY? KIEN LEE, Ph.D. Principal Assciate/Vice President

2 OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION COMMUNIT Y ENGAGEMENT WHAT YOU NEED BE AWARE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHAT CAN YOU DO

3 WHAT IS COMMUNITY Cmmunity is bth a feeling and a set f relatinships amng peple. Peple frm and maintain cmmunities t meet their needs. Neighbrhds, schls, cllege campuses, r places f faith are cntext and envirnments fr these cmmunities but they are nt cmmunities themselves.

4 THIS MEANS THAT. Peple live in multiple cmmunities Peple identify and participate in several cmmunities, frm neighbrhds t natins, cmmunities f faith t cmmunities f plitics, cmmunities f academic disciplines t prfessins, as well as cmmunities based n race and ethnicity, age, gender, r sexual rientatin Cmmunities are nested within each ther Cmmunities are ften fund within cmmunities, fr example: In a neighbrhd a cmmunity in and f itself there may be cmmunities based n persns f different racial backgrund, ages and needs In an academic institutin als a cmmunity in and f itself there may be cmmunities based n academic disciplines, persns f different racial backgrund, and jb functins

5 THIS MEANS THAT. Cmmunities have frmal and infrmal institutins Frmal institutins In a place-based cmmunity, frmal institutins include schls, lcal gvernment, places f wrship, and health care rganizatins In an academic setting, frmal institutins include deans ffices, student unin, ffice f admissins, cmmunity engagement ffice Infrmal institutins Scial r cultural netwrks f helpers and leaders Cmmunities are rganized in different ways Every cmmunity is rganized t meet its members needs but they may nt lk the way we traditinally think f them. Cmmunities perate differently based n the cultures, religins, and ther experiences f their members.

6 TO FIND COMMUNITY, LOOK FOR: Where peple naturally gather t address their needs r share their interests (e.g., parks, public r campus library, cultural and ther festivals) Wh peple listen t and trust (e.g., spiritual leaders, an elder, neighbrhd assciatin president, fraternity r srrity leader, cunselr, prfessr) Which frmal institutins address peple s needs and interests (e.g., schls, health centers, chamber f cmmerce)

7 WHERE TO START Understand the demgraphic grups in the surrunding areas and start with the frmal institutins yu knw that serve them Pick up and review lcal newsletters r newspapers distributed by clubs n campus, neighbrhd assciatins, and ther rganizatins Reach ut t faith and spiritual leaders Reach ut t student grups, prfessinal assciatins, labr unins, cmmunity-based participatry researchers at yur institutin G t places where peple naturally gather (e.g., parks, sccer fields, campus cafeteria) Set up an infrmatin bth at lcal YMCAs

8 USE SNOWBALL SAMPLING APPROACH Ask every persn r grup yu speak t wh r where they g t when they need help abut smething that cncerns them

9 WHAT IS ENGAGEMENT?

10 Invlve Cllabrate Empwer Cnsult Infrm SOCIAL IDENTITY, PRIVILEGE, & POWER 1. Perceptin f yu, wh yu represent, and yur institutin 2. Histrically excluded grups r grups that have been harmed by research institutins have led t distrust 3. Diverse channels f infrmatin disseminatin and unequal access 4. Wrds have different meanings based n histry and cntext 5. Familiarity, cmfrt, and cnfidence with input/feedback prcesses vary depending n histry, culture, cntext, and pwer differences 6. Ability t be invlved varies depending n ecnmic situatin, availability f time, and rle 7. Ability t cllabrate varies depending n knwledge, skills, resurces, and past and current relatinships with yu, yur institutin, and ther grups 8. Systemic barriers may cntinue t keep sme grups frm being empwered

11 WHAT CAN HAPPEN? Very few peple respnd t yur request r shw up at yur cmmunity engagement event. Peple shw up and are very critical f yur institutin. Sme peple dn t say anything r say very little. Yu dn t get any substantive feedback verbally r in writing. Yu end up with the same ld suspects and miss certain grups f peple. There is tensin, disagreement, and cnflict amng sme f the stakehlders in the rm during yur cmmunity engagement event. The leader f a particular stakehlder grup calls yu and is upset that yu didn t reach ut t his/her grup, r that yu priritized anther grup s input ver his/her grup.

12 WHAT CAN YOU DO? If yu are engaging the cmmunity verbally r thrugh in-persn interactins: Cnsider all the pssible ways and venues where there are cmmunities. Dn t try and engage the cmmunity all by yurself; identify and wrk with bridge builders and cultural brkers. Use plain language and dn t assume that a particular term r cncept means the same thing fr everyne. Be prepared fr any criticism f yur institutin, acknwledge the pwer f yur institutin, and then mve n and fcus n the task at hand.

13 WHAT CAN YOU DO? If yu are engaging the cmmunity verbally r thrugh in-persn interactins: Be mindful f peple s perceptins f yu and f each ther, due t pssible implicit biases and ther assumptins abut racial/ethnic, age, gender, and ther differences. Engage a trained r prfessinal facilitatr; cnsider the prfessinals in yur academic institutin wh already teach and practice grup facilitatin. Be hnest abut what yu will d with the infrmatin r feedback, dn t try and placate any stakehlder grup.

14 WHAT CAN YOU DO? If yu are engaging the cmmunity thrugh written cmmunicatins: Cnsider all the pssible venues where there are cmmunities, and distribute the written cmmunicatins thrugh these venues. Dn t try and engage the cmmunity all by yurself; identify and wrk with bridge builders and cultural brkers. Use plain language and dn t assume that a particular term r cncept means the same thing fr everyne. Cnsider hw certain terms r cncepts can diminish r perpetuate existing prejudices. Use prfessinal translatrs if needed. Be hnest abut what yu will d with the infrmatin r feedback, dn t try and placate any stakehlder grup.