Community Action
Community Action
• A campaign undertaken by the people in a
particular place
• An action undertaken (also initiated and organized)
by members of the community or community
organization for that community’s own
improvement
• Encompasses community engagement, solidarity
and citizenship
Community Engagement
•The process by which community benefit
organizations and individuals build
ongoing, permanent relationships for the
purpose of applying a collective vision for
the benefit of the community.
Community Engagement
•Primarily deals with the practice of moving
communities toward change, usually from
a stalled or similarly suspended position.
(Community organizing is a process of
building grassroots movement involving
communities)
Community Engagement
• Rooted from the concept of community
benefit, a term that grew out of an English
common law concept, articulated in an 1891
legal decision that define the four types of
charitable institution; trust for the
advancement of education, trust for the
advancement of religion, trust for other
purposes beneficial to the community.
Practical Community Engagement
• Used as an active method in implementing
change
• Honest relationship building for the sake of the
community
8-step guideline for community engagement
by Hildy Gottlieb of Creating the Future
1. Determine the goals of the plan
2. Plan out who to engage
3. Develop engagement strategies of those
individuals you already know
4. Develop engagement strategies of those
individuals you do not already know
8-step guideline for community engagement
by Hildy Gottlieb of Creating the Future
5. Prioritize those activities
6. Create an implementation plan
7. Monitor your progress
8. Maintain those relationship
Civil engagement – political activity,
membership and volunteering in civil society
organizations
Social engagement – participation in collective
activities
Core Principles of Community Engagement
1. Careful planning and preparation
2. Inclusion and Demographic Diversity
3. Collaboration and shared purpose
4. Openness and learning
5. Transparency and trust
6. Impact and action
7. Sustained engagement and participatory
culture
Careful planning and preparation
Through adequate and inclusive
planning, ensure that the design,
organization and convening of the
process serve both a clearly defined
purpose and the needs of the
participants.
Inclusion and Demographic Diversity
Equitably incorporate diverse people,
voices, ideas and information to lay the
groundwork for quality outcomes and
democratic legitimacy
Collaboration and shared purpose
Support and encourage participants,
government and community
institutions, and others to work together
to advance the common good.
Openness and learning
Help all involved listen to each other,
explore new ideas unconstrained by
predetermined outcomes, learn and
apply information in ways that generate
new options, and rigorously evaluate
community engagement activities for
effectiveness
Transparency and trust
Be clear and open about the process,
and provide a public record of the
organizers, sponsors, outcomes, and
range of views and ideas expressed
Impact and action
Ensure each participatory effort has real
potential to make a difference, and that
participants are aware of that potential
Sustained engagement and participatory culture
Promote a culture of participation with
programs and institutions that support
ongoing quality community engagement
