Cmmunity Science WHAT CAN YOU DO TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY? KIEN LEE, Ph.D. Principal Assciate/Vice President Kien@cmmunityscience.cm 240-813-9254
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION COMMUNIT Y ENGAGEMENT WHAT YOU NEED BE AWARE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHAT CAN YOU DO
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.
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
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.
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)
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
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
WHAT IS ENGAGEMENT?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.