Community Involvement
Definition
Community involvement is the process of engaging people in the local area with your organisation and development.
Guidance
Community involvement is essential to making any asset transfer a success. The entire rationale for these types of development is that organisations which reach furthest into the community are more likely to result in social benefits.
People who live in a community know more about how to regenerate an area than supposed ‘experts’. This does not mean that they do not need outside support, but it means they have to play an integral part in planning and implementing the solution.
There is no uniform method to engage communities and get them involved in your development. Each part of the country is different and what works in one place may not work in another. Some areas for example have greater community resources to draw on (financial, time, experience). The focus here will mainly be for areas with little history of engagement in community activity as these are places where community involvement is most difficult.
The advice given here should not be read as the definitive answer to community involvement. It raises a number of issues to get you thinking and some avenues to explore. Feel free to experiment with different methods until you find the ones that work for you and your community. More information can be found in setting up a community organisation.
Plan. Think about your strategy and what you are going to do at the outset instead of making it up on the hoof. Keep this top-level and develop the detail as you go. Make sure you have enough time between each step to adapt to circumstances. Be flexible rather than dogmatic. If something is not working think about alternatives.
Reach people. To get people involved in your development they have to know about it. Advertise what is happening. This does not have to be expensive. One way of doing this is to use existing networks. Where do people meet? Which people are prominent in the community? Find out and use the people and places to get people along to an event.
Engage. Once you’ve got someone to an event to discuss the project engage with your audience. One option is a traditional public meeting, but there are alternatives. Try to make the event interactive and get people’s input. That might mean splitting up into smaller groups or more visual communication tools. Perhaps you could get people to put sticky notes on a wall. Think creative and always consider your audience.
Inspire. Make sure any event you do is interesting. Get an exciting speaker to show what can be done. Use multimedia, a collection of pictures or a video can bring things alive in a way that a speech cannot. Keep everything short, snappy and entertaining and make sure people don’t get bored.
Attention to detail. When most people hear community engagement they think of a cold, damp community centre with drab décor and soggy biscuits. Whenever you engage people take time to make the event special. Pick a venue that is bright and clean, put on some decent food and make sure people get a warm welcome. These details set the tone and indicate a level of respect for the people attending.
Persist. Community engagement is not easy especially at the outset. Many people will lack the time to get involved. Others might be disillusioned about the failure of other regeneration schemes. It is vital not to overpromise. This will only generate ill will and acrimony down the line when people become disappointed. Do not shy away from the hard work that will be needed to complete the project.
Identify champions. This should be done as early as possible. People who live in a community will have the best ideas for engaging with friends and neighbours. As soon as possible empower these people to involve others. These people might not recognise their potential or volunteer to help. Provide encouragement, support and training. Show confidence by gradually increasing their ability to make decisions including controlling a small budget.
Keep thinking. Once the community is engaged keep looking at how you are communicating and if there is anything else you could do to improve. Be clear about lines of communication and how people can get involved. The danger at this stage is that a clique develops that excludes others from engaging.
There are plenty of organisations that can assist in terms of advice and guidance on how to do community involvement. Check these out and explore how useful they are for you.
What to avoid
Avoid letting the development be dominated by one sector of the community. This is particularly important where there are acute divisions and lines of conflict in the community (perhaps on a religious, racial or class basis). Be conscious of this danger and take steps to counter it as soon as it emerges as an issue. Developments should be a tool used to unite communities, rather than add to conflict.
Try not to be prescriptive or limit influence. Nothing puts people off more than superficial engagement. Wherever possible give local people real influence over decisions. If this is not possible explain why as clearly as possible.
Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Adopt a variety of methods. Do not feel the need to stick to guides religiously. You know your organisation and community better than anyone else.
External Links
Experts Online
Together We Can
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)
The Community Planning Website
Locality