Community Engagement

Community Engagement is the process by which citizens are engaged to work and learn together on behalf of their communities to create and realize bold visions for the future. Community Engagement can involve informing citizens about your initiative, inviting their input, collaborating with them to generate solutions, and partnering with the community from the beginning to tackle community issues. Community Engagement increases community cohesion and allows for the community to have ownership over the outcomes that will ultimately impact them.

Tamarack is uniquely positioned to act as a bridge between theory and practice. We apply the theory to community contexts and teach and coach organizations, municipalities and groups to engage their communities meaningfully. We stress the importance of approaching engagement with an outcomes-based lens, of always involving context experts, and to provide community ownership of solutions whenever possible. We are leaders in applying community engagement to systems-thinking in order to work collaboratively for community-wide change.

Community Engagement: A Foundational Practice of Community Change

By Sylvia Cheuy

In 'Community Engagement: A Foundational Practice of Community Change', Sylvia discusses what community engagement actually is and how it is the core idea for change. She also explores why the nurturing of community ownership and leadership in any change effort is essential for its long-term sustainability and success. This paper will give you different perspectives to consider and questions that will spark ideas.

Strengthening Public Engagement in Edmonton

By Centre for Public Involvement

This document summarizes the state of the art in public engagement, and relates these lessons and innovations to the Edmonton experience. The first section describes the key elements of productive engagement and what it can accomplish. The following three sections focus on the techniques and assets that contribute to the practice, culture, and structure of engagement. The final two sections explore how to put all this information together in visions and plans for public engagement in Edmonton.

Ideas