COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & PARTICIPATION

Lesotho Parnters

Overview

Definition of Community Engagement

Theoretical Frameworks Practical implications

Definition

Community engagement refers to the process by which community organisations and individuals build ongoing, permanent relationships for the purpose of applying a collective vision for the benefit of a community. While community organising involves the process of building a grassroots movement involving communities, community engagement primarily deals with the practice of moving said communities towards change.

Like any community development process this relates to engagement of people affiliated by geographical location, special interest, or

similar situations

Importance of Engagement Stakeholders are better informed reduces

misinformation Encourages stakeholders to put ideas

forward Diversity of voices can be heard Enables community worker/organisation to

get a better understanding of local needs Ensures commitment and greater

ownership of outcomes by stakeholders and community

Builds resilient relationships with community

Helps reduce conflict in certain situations

Importance of Engagement Assists different groups within the community

to better understand the viewpoints and needs of others.

There may be more ownership of solutions to current problems so that the community shares in decision-making and has a higher level of responsibility for creating that future.

Fosters a sense of belonging to community Individuals may become empowered and

proactive with regard to issues that affect them.

Principles of EngagementIn a review of existing literature and theory, Petts andLeach developed a list of engagement principles whichincludes: a need for clarity of objectives consensus on agenda, procedures and effectiveness representativeness and inclusiveness deliberation capability and social learning decision responsiveness transparency and enhancement of trust

Why do people participate? • “A personal interest” or common

interests • An aspiration to change things • Faith • Exposure and access to community

and voluntary sectors • An opportunity to voice opinions

Why do people participate? Recent literature suggests that having a voice in the

community and feeling a sense of empowerment gives citizens a stronger commitment to their local area. As a consequence they will be more likely to be a part of local activities. In addition, according to Understanding Participation, “when an active interest is shown in their opinion...and feel their engagement was influential and acted upon” a citizen will be more motivated to be involved and stay involved politically.

Social networks are also an important factor in triggering the involvement of citizens. Some triggers include ‘being asked’, ‘word of mouth’ and the influence of community ‘motivators’.

Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation 1969

Wheel of Participation (1998)

Petty and Hine: Typology of Participation 1999

International Association for Public Participation’s 5 step framework for participation (2004)

Theoretical Frameworks

Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation

Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation

See

http://lithgow-schmidt.dk/sherry-arnstein/ladder-of-citizen-participation.html

Petty and Hine

Manipulative participation Passive participation Participation by consultation Participation for material incentives Functional participation Interactive participation Self-mobilisation

The “Wheel of Participation”

This framework has been used by different agencies wishing to present options for involvement and participation. The original thinking outlining this approach was published in 1998.

http://111.118.165.194/~kiss/kts/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Davidson-Spinning-wheel-article1998.pdf

Five Step Framework for participation

International Association for Public Participation’s 5 step framework for participation

The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) has developed a framework for looking at the depth and scope of engagement. This is based on five levels of engagement, each one increasing levels of participation and involvement. At one end of the spectrum engagement is simply an information sharing exercise, for example through the provision of websites or newsletters. At the other end, engagement can lead to genuine community empowerment and local control.

http://www.iap2.org/ http://www.iap2.org.au/documents/item/84

Five Step Framework

The International Association for Public Participation’s 5 step framework for participation is a useful framework for thinking about different objectives and approaches for community engagement.

Participation

Definition of community participation isStoker (1997)members of the public ‘taking part in any of theprocesses of formulation, passage and

implementationof public policies’. This is a wide-ranging definition, which extends theemphasis of public participation beyond thedevelopment of policy, to decision-makingand implementation.”

Participation: Theoretical Frameworks

Arnstein’s ladder of participation Burns et al 1994

Since Arnstein

Since Arnstein, increasingly complex theories of participation have been advanced and new terminology added. In particular, there has been a shift towards understanding participation in terms of the empowerment of individuals and communities.

See http://www.cagconsultants.co.uk/resources/communities/Participation_Theoretical_Frameworks.pdf

Burns et al ladder of citizen power.. Burns et al (1994) modified Arnstein’s

ladder of participation and proposed a ladder of citizen power

This is more elaborate than Arnstein’s ladder, with a further, more qualitative breakdown of some of the different levels. For example, a distinction is drawn between ‘cynical’ and ‘genuine’ consultation, and between ‘entrusted’ and ‘independent’ citizen control.

Burns...

CITIZEN CONTROL

Independent control

Entrusted control

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

Delegated control

Partnership

Limited decentralised decision-making

Effective advisory boards

Genuine consultation

High quality information

Burns...

CITIZEN NON-PARTICIPATIONCustomer carePoor informationCynical consultationCivic hypeA continuum of involvement

Wilcox, 1999: A Continuum of Involvement

Identifies five interconnected levels of community participation.

Information Consultation Deciding together Acting together Supporting individual community

initiatives

Wilcox...

Different ‘levels’ of participation are acceptable indiffering context and settings, this progressionrecognises that power is not always transferred inapparently participative processes, but that theprocesses still have value. As opposed to the commoninterpretation of Arnstien, that bring the thoughtthat it is only acceptable to be striving towards citizencontrol.

Participation: Petty and Hine Manipulative participation Passive participation Participation by consultation Participation for material incentives Functional participation Interactive participation Self-mobilisation

ParticipationEngagementConsultationAdapted from definitions by The Murray Darling BasinCommission, Australia

Difference between:

Paticipation

Participation “…simply means the act of

participating, in whatever form. Writingletters, ringing-up, attending events,

sendingemails or using a host of other forms ofcommunication are forms where peoplecan participate.

Consultation

Consultation “…conveys the idea that anagency, community or youth group, or individual is

activelyseeking advice from someone else. Advice is soughtin relation to a problem the agency has andis directed towards a number of options. Theevent is purpose driven. Whilst you listen tothe feedback there are no assurances thatthe advice received will be utilised or actedupon.”

Engagement

The word ‘engagement’ highlights the broaderresponsibilities of interactions withcommunity, and encompasses the full range ofprocesses used by communities or other

agencies, frominforming to empowering.Engagement, in this context, is inclusive of theprocesses described in the Wheel of

Engagement.

Using the Wheel of Participation

Putting the Theory Into Practice

Planning

Good planning is critical to successful community engagement

The participation organisation, Involve recommends a formula for public participation. Below is a summary of the key factors it believes should be considered when planning activity:

Involve

purpose - be clear about what the engagement activity seeks to achieve;

context - pay attention to the needs and character of the local community;

people - consider who should be involved, what their needs are, and what support or incentives may help them take part;

method - design the process and choose a method that is appropriate to the purpose, context and people; and

outcome – set the goals and overall objectives.

http://www.involve.org.uk/understanding-participation-a-literature-review-turkce/

Informing...

GoalProvide balanced and objective information to

helpCommunity understand the opportunities,

problems,alternatives and/or solutions Keeping the

publicinformed through information dissemination.

One way communication.

Implications

Increasing understanding of issues and options

Increasing community ability to address issues

Increasing community compliance with regulation and other requirements associated with change.

Techniques: Examples

Newsletters Websites Exhibitions eg local library or

community centre Social media

Class Activity

You are working as a youth worker in a youth

organisation in Tralee. You want to do some work in

the local community with young people on the issue of

Increased consumption of alcohol in local football pitch especially after dark Your organisation fears for wellbeing of

teenagers / health/peer pressure/bullying etc

Fears for safety of younger children being influenced

Who would you need to inform? Why? How?

Some considerations

Know who you are trying to reach and how they are most

likely to access and understand the information

• Ensure information provided is:• high quality• consistent• timely• appropriately targeted• clear and understandable to your audience.

Consult

Goal

Obtain public feedback on analysis, alternatives

and/or decisions .

Two way communication

Examples of techniques

Focus groups Surveys Public meetings

Guidelines for Consultation

Ensure the purpose of consultation is clear, including what you are consulting about

Know who you are trying to consult, the most effective way to reach people and get a response

Allow enough time for a response to consultation requests

Provide feedback on the results of consultation Ensure the views of those consulted are taken into

account in the outcome Present all information simply and clearly Ensure adequate resources are allocated to the

process.

Class Activity

Continuing on with the above youth worker example how would you consult with the local community?

Who would you consult with? Why? How? How would you let people know about

your findings? What would you do with your findings?

Involve

Participatory process Work directly with the community throughout

the process to ensure that concerns and aspirations are consistently understood and considered

Joint consideration of public responses with the community before decisions are taken, with feedback on how community has influenced decisions

Fluid, ongoing process and face to face dialogue:

Examples of Techniques

Workshops Establish working group/s

Putting plans in place Deciding who is to do what Setting realistic goals Bringing in other interested parties Making decisions on best approach to take

Guidelines for Involvement Know who needs to be involved in decision

making, activities or programs Ensure all relevant people are given the

opportunity to be involved Consider carefully what structures and processes

are appropriate for the purpose and who is to be engaged

Avoid misunderstanding and ambiguity by clearly establishing the basis for membership of bodies such as boards or committees (eg. skills vs representation), decision making processes (eg. voting vs consensus) and roles

Class Activity continued... Who would you involve in trying to

address the issues of alcohol use locally? Why? What are some of the ways in which you

could involve them?

Empower

Working together to develop understanding of all issues and interests to work out

Final decision-making in hands of community

Empowered communities share decision making

But..not taking law into own hands/vigilantism

Consider...

There must be clarity about the scope of the shared power

There must be clarity about roles and responsibilities

Communities need sufficient resources to enable empowerment

Class Activity Continued

In the above example what would an empowered community look like?

Be careful of the following...

there is often a perceived ‘usual suspect’ group that dominates local participation;

the typical participant is older (24 per cent of 50-74 year olds compared to 12 per cent of 16-24 year olds have participated in consultation exercises);

make sure that groups which are harder to access are not under-represented;

Consultation fatigue Vigilantism

NB: Effective Community Engagement

http://www.cbt.infoxchange.net.au/cbrs/CommEngageWorkbook.pdf

Workbook and ToolsCommunity Engagement UnitResources and Regional Services

Division/Catchmentand Agriculture Services

Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria Australia

References

1. Petts, J & Leach, B (2000) ‘Evaluating methods forpublic participation: a literature review’, R & technical report, E135, Environment Agency, Bristol

2. Brown, J & Isaacs, D (1994) ‘Merging the best of twoworlds the core processes of organisations ascommunities’ in P Senge, A Kleiner, C Roberts, R Ross &

3. B Smith (eds.) The fifth discipline fieldbook: strategiesand tools for building a learning organization,Doubleday/Currency Publications

Engagement Toolkit

http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/sites/default/files/book/community-engagement/what_is_community_engagement_-_guide_v1_-_no_cover.pdf

This toolkit is published by the Homes and Community Agency UK

For a practical application of the Wheel ofParticipation and the Ladder of

Participation see

South Lanarkshire Council’s Wheel of Participation

http://www.mercury.org.au/PDFs/Wheel%20of%20Participation.pdf

References

Five Step Framework

http://www.iap2.org.au/documents/item/84

Australian website on engagementhttp://www.dse.vic.gov.au/effective-

engagement/introduction-to-engagement

References

Understanding participation: A literature Review

Ellie Brodie Eddie Cowling Nina NissenWith Angela Ellis Paine Véronique JochumDiane WarburtonDecember 2009/PathwaysCan be found athttp://pathwaysthroughparticipation.org.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2009/09/Pathways-literature-review-final-version.pdf