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Promising Practices for Long‐Term Community Engagement
AN OVERVIEWANDRÉE TREMOULET AND MEG MERRICK
Your Roadmap and This ReportRoadmap Decision Point Meeting Report
Communities of geography, interest & identity 2 Chapter 2, Appendices A & B
Cities, urban unincorporated, rural 2 Chapter 2, Appendices A & B
Engaging underrepresented communities 3 Throughout
Who sets the agenda? 3 Chapter 3
21st century tools 4 Chapter 5, Appendix C
Civic education & leadership training 4 Chapter 4
Staffing 5 Chapter 6
What is Community? Why Does it Matter?
Geography—where you live
Interest—topic, subject matter
Identity—core part of who you are, your public face
Page5
Structure of City of Portland Office of Neighborhood InvolvementSupport for Geographic Communities
7 district coalitions
95 neighborhoods
41 neighborhood biz districts
Support for Communities of Identity & Interest
Diversity & Civic Leadership
New Portlanders Program
Youth Program
Disability Program
Support for Community Problem‐Solving & Initiative
Mediation Program
Noise Control Program
Crime Prevention Program
Graffiti Removal Program
Information & Referral
Page6
Geography and ScaleSmall Scale
• Supports bonding• Easier to listen & talk
• Promotes individual responsibility
• Supports empathy
Large Scale
• Builds critical mass
• Builds power to achieve key objectives
Pages7‐8
Source: Putnam, Feldstein & Cohen, 2003.
Study of four cities found that participation of communities
of color in urban neighborhood associations increased as the percentage of the population who were people of color increased.
Source: Portney & Berry, 1997
Appendix B
For example…
Additional maps for Asian, African American/Black and Non‐White Population in Appendix B
Additional Underrepresented CommunitiesRural Communities –Form a network of rural areas for issue identification and problem‐solvingSmall Businesses—Form neighborhood business associations for issue identification, problem‐solving & connections to resourcesMillennialsHelp people, not causesIncremental engagement—smaller actions before fully committingInfluenced by decisions & behaviors of their peersNeed to experience an organization’s work without being onsiteReach through their workplace
Pages9‐11
Who Determines the Content?PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Jurisdiction brings up the issues
Often input into public plans or actions
Local government typically responsible for implementation
Consultation with community
Origin: civic revival, democratic governance. Recognition of relevance of community knowledge
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Community decides the issues and agenda
Actions may or may not involve local government
Community implements, with help from outside resources
Origin: community organizing, empowerment
Pages15‐16
Content: A Tale of Two ProgramsNeighborhood Bill of RightsSaint Johns County, Florida
Neighborhood Partnership ProgramRoanoke, Virginia
Issues Resources Solutions3 Year Action Plan
Pages17‐20
Civic Education and Leadership TrainingWhy does this matter?How do we know how to effectively participate?
Research suggests that the most important factor in developing
“democratic capacity” is the home environment – parents’ and caregivers’:
educational attainments; books and news resources in the home; and
family political discussions and behaviors. (Gainouse and Martens, 2011)
The importance of the right kinds of education and training opportunities
particularly for households with lower adult educational attainments and
fewer resources.
Page22
Civic Education and Leadership Training: Take‐awaysCivics and leadership training are essential to building democratic capacity particularly for communities where adult educational attainments are lower and resources are limited.
There are a number of programs (page 23) that provide leadership and civics training to communities of color and the disabled community that serve Washington County’s residents including youth and adults.
Existing partnerships could be leveraged and new partnerships built between the County and Oregon’s leadership programs to provide a foundation for its long‐term engagement program.
These partnerships and partnerships with K‐12 schools could provide opportunities for innovation and experimentation with hybrid models of engagement.
Leadership style and skill matter and “facilitative” leadership that is welcoming and inclusive in its approach, takes training and support.
Page25
21st Century Tools: Why?Some advantages of digital tools for engagement:Access to a lot of information
The “asynchronous” (not real time) nature of the Internet – but also the capacity for real time interactions
The ability to contribute to discussions without “the burden of non‐verbal politics”
The Internet’s interactive nature encourages the co‐creation of new ideas
Users may choose to remain anonymous
Has the potential to eliminate poor facilitation and the influence of vocal and powerful special interests
The seemingly low cost of online surveys, blogs, and social media
Page22
Digital access is increasingly disconnected from the desktop
Research indicates (Pew, 2010) that compared with white cell phone owners, blacks and Latinos are significantly more likely to: text message; use social media; use the Internet; use
email; play games; listen to music; use instant messaging; post multimedia content online
Rural community members are increasingly connected to the Internet. A 2014 Pew Research Center survey indicated that 83% of rural respondents use the Internet, email, or
access the Internet using mobile phones – (urban respondents = 88%; suburban respondents = 87%)
Millennials (those born after 1979) are technological and technology dependent, communication savvy, social networkers, and like instant gratification.
They seek “forms of self‐definition and outlets in which they can generate their own solutions to our society’s problems” (Gagnier, 2008).
21st Century Tools: Broadening Engagement
Page29
21st Century Tools: TypesDigital town halls
Instant polling
Online surveys
Brainstorming and idea prioritization
Participatory budgeting and budget prioritization tools
Online suites of tools to collaborate, wiki, focus group
Geographically‐based (interactive mapping/comment tools, Nextdoor)
Crowdsourcing including natural disaster relief apps
Map App
Caveats Case Study:Online Surveys – Opt‐In
21st Century Tools: Take‐awaysOnline tools have greater potential than ever before to reach a broader audience
Recruitment is just as important as it is with traditional methods of engagement
Millennials are more likely to get to know the County online than with site‐based approaches
There is an increasing number of tools and types of tools available
Tool costs span from free to tens of thousands of dollars per year
Additional, sometimes unrecognized costs (including caveats illustrated in the report)
Issues of security of participant content
Tools are in their infancy; their impacts are still unknown
Page37
Staffing: Benefits of the AlternativesCURRENT APPROACH (CONTRACTING)
Objectivity
Fixed, predictable costs
Takes the burden off of county staff
Provides expertise that isn’t available in the county
COUNTY STAFFING
Ongoing commitment
Integration of public engagement values, skills, and experiences among all of the County’s programs including the long‐term engagement program
Sharing relationships with community members, organizations, and businesses across the County’s programs
Government is directly accountable
Page40
The RoadmapCommunities of geography, interest, and identity
Engaging under‐represented communities; who
sets the agenda; and partnerships
21st century tools; roles, responsibilities, and
expectations; civic education and leadership training
Staffing; preliminary recommendations
Final recommendations