STEPP Community Engagement

What is Community Engagement?

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 wellbeing of those people.

Outreach:

• Communication flow is from one to the other to inform.
• Provides the community with information.
• Entities co-exist.
• Outcomes: optimally, establishes communication channels and channels for research.

Resource Title Organization Description Link Community Engagement – An Introduction (video) Public Health Center for Excellence A brief concept overview of community engagement. Inclusive Communication Principles Centers for Disease Control and Prevention When working to inform and build relationships with community, it’s important to consider inclusive communication in our spoken words, images, and text. Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) National Association of County and City Health Officials Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) is a community-driven strategic planning process to achieve health equity. MAPP 2.0 Handbook

Consult:

• More Community Involvement - communication flows to the community and then back.
• Answer seeking - gets information or feedback from the community.
• Entities share information, outcomes, and develop connections.

Resource Title Organization Description Link Community Engagement: A Participatory Action Approach Towards Health Equity and Justice Public Health Institute An easy-to-use resource with action-focused activities, tools, and resources to support community members in exploring and understanding issues affecting their communities. Obtaining and Using Feedback from Participants Community Toolbox Learn what participant feedback is, how to get it, and how to use it to maintain a high-quality program, initiative, or intervention that meets the needs of the community. Putting Public Health Evidence in Action Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network A complete guide to public health engagement and evidence-based implementation including videos and handouts.

Involve

• Communication flows both ways.
• Participatory form of communication
• Involves more participation with community on issues.
• Entities are cooperating with each other.

Resource Title Organization Description Link Resources for Collaboration and Power Sharing Human Impact Partners A toolkit covering collaboration between government agencies and community power-building entities. Video Snapshots: Lessons from the Field: Centering Community Voice Public Health Institute A video series exploring case studies of community engagement projects. Encouraging Involvement in Community Work Community Toolbox Resources covering strategies to promote community involvement.

Collaborate

• Communication flow is bidirectional.
• Partnerships formed with community on each aspect of project from development to solution.
• Entities form bidirectional communication channels.

Resource Title Organization Description Link Coalition Building Guide Community Toolbox Learn how to organize a group of individuals and professionals around a common cause, working together to achieve a unified goal. Developing Effective Coalitions: An Eight Step Guide Prevention Institute The Eight Steps to Effective Coalition Building is a framework for engaging individuals, organizations and governmental partners in addressing community concerns. Recommendations for Strengthening Partnerships CDC Foundation A guide to engaging and strengthening relationships community members and nonprofits.

Shared Leadership

• Final decision making is done at the community level.
• Entities have formed strong partnership structures.
• Strong bidirectional trust exists among all partners.

Resource Title Organization Description Link Maintaining a Coalition Community Toolbox Learn how to maintain and sustain a coalition and its mission over time. Community Organizing, Partnerships, and Coalitions: Rebus Community Comprehensive module to understand the cycle of community organizing including approaches for top-down and bottom-up partnerships. Planning for Funding and Sustainability Rural Health Information Hub Content modules that cover issues in planning for sustainability of health programs in rural communities.

Additional Resources:

• Principles of Community Engagement
• Community Engagement Guide
• A Participatory Action Approach Towards Health Equity & Justice
• CDC: Successful Community Engagement Examples in the Field
• Community Health Partnerships Tools and Information for Development and Support
• Rural Community Health Toolkit
• Asset-Based Community Development Resources
• SOPHE Center for Online Resources & Education: Coalition Building Resources

Trainings:

Designing Effective Meetings How do you design a meeting so it is focused, effective, and engaging? This workshop focuses on the key leadership skill of how to plan and structure a meeting to achieve your desired outcomes. We will address the strategic skill of Persuasive Communication and explore strategies for leading meetings that are inclusive, invite dialogue and engagement, and motivate participants to action. We’ll also provide actionable strategies and techniques to help keep your meetings on point and action-oriented. *Free for Colorado based participants, new dates offered quarterly Facilitation Foundations Training The Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center is offering a 10-week course that uses highly interactive activities to build participants' capacity to facilitate meetings and coalitions that are efficient, effective, and lead to results. Participants learn how to anticipate, prevent and intervene in difficult situations to keep the group from derailing and halting progress and explore structured strategies they can use to generate ideas, evaluate and select ideas, and make a group decision. *Registration fee Engaging the Wisdom of Community Spark Session: The Energetics of Online Engagement Generating a sense of belonging and meaning in virtual settings calls for a mindful approach to defining the purpose, structuring the experience, executing the event, and nurturing engagement among participants. These 2-hour sessions are intended to provide a basic starting point on a set of topics relevant to the art and practice of authentic community engagement. Each session is intended to be an inspirational “spark” about the topic covered. These sessions can be complemented in other Engaging the Wisdom of Community trainings or through small group discussions in office hours with the course facilitator. *No Cost, dates offered quarterly Social Justice Approaches to Youth Engagement Social justice youth development is focused on creating equitable opportunities for all youth and building awareness of how systems of power can oppress particular young groups. Social justice for youth engagement involves the use of intentional anti-oppressive practices for young people, as well as providing knowledge and skill-building as they negotiate and disrupt the misuses of power in their lives. *No cost to Colorado based participants, dates offered quarterly

The associated files and links are available below.