Why do people volunteer? To what end? Altruism, self interest, or a little bit of both? (Ayn Rand, are you listening?) “Take care of numero uno”, we are told. But, “love (serve) your neighbor” we are also told.
In the USofA the value of helping others is deeply rooted and has a rich history. Today, the “call to service” resonates loudly with the aging baby boomers and the younger generation. Our current economic crisis coupled with the innate willingness of both of these generational cohorts – and the rise to the Presidency of a man that clearly ‘gets it’ – seems to be a perfect storm for a ‘new age of volunteerism’. For those of us fortunate enough to be paid to think about such things and operationalize systems or create curriculum to maximize this ‘volunteer energy’, these are exciting times indeed.
More people in need. More people willing to volunteer. An understanding President… A perfect storm… What an opportunity! What excitement! What challenge!
However, before we jump in the volunteer bandwagon, we’d better think through the implications for the individual, organization, and community… Why do people volunteer? What organizational outcome can be expedited by the use of volunteers? How can volunteers weave into the fabric of the community rather than be seen as opportunistic outsiders? There are a gazillion other questions that we could ask. Three simple ones to consider include:
[1] Meaning for the individual: How meaningful should the volunteer activity be for the individual? (Are they looking to exercise their profession and/or skills ‘for free’, enrich themselves spirituality, and/or create consciousness for a cause? What is their time commitment, restrictions and/or demand/expectations? How do we ‘segment’ the volunteer pool – youth, elderly, retired, stay-at-home parent; etc. )
[2] Organizational purpose: What is the purpose of using volunteers in the organization? (Is it to alleviate a current condition – i.e. address staffing shortage; or is it to more effectively and efficiently meet a particular organizational objective? Are there internal opportunities for volunteers to get involved in systemic change – or would their participation be ‘busy work’ only? Is our purpose to ‘create consciousness’ – or is immediate resource savings driving the use of volunteers? What is the organization’s capacity to recruit, train, and supervise volunteers?)
[3] Community Context: How will the community benefit from the use of volunteers? (What types of volunteer activities already exist in our community? What is the “demand”? What is the “supply? Who are the existing ‘opportunity providers’? Are the opportunities “one time only”; do they ‘sunset’; or are they permanent and ongoing? Who controls the process? Are they willing to partner?)
The exact nature of the question is not that critical – as long as it is asked of prospective volunteers, leaders in the organization, and residents of the community. There is no right or wrong answer. If the questions are framed correctly, their answers will lead to efficient and effective use of volunteers. If the questions are not framed correctly, the use of volunteers can lead to individual frustrations, organizational loss of resources, and unmet community expectations.
So, what are other questions that should be asked?... Please provide yours. Do please indicate whether the question is of an individual, organization, or community; and, who should ask the question.) Chime in by posting yours as a ‘comment’ to this blog.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
On City, Planning, & Community Engagement
To paraphrase Bob Dylan, here I am, “stuck inside Minneapolis, with the Milwaukee blues again”… Yes, here I am with 4,234 other planner-types at the American Planning Association Conference... In the company of such illustrious group, I can’t help but wonder:
- WHERE are the minority planners? (Sure, the tokens were there; but nada mas.)
- WHY are planners so boring? (The sessions - with few exceptions - felt like bad public hearings.)
- COULD IT BE time to bury PowerPoint Presentations? (Or at least, could presenters be required to go to PPP101?)
Oh how I yearn to be around regular folks! (Mind you, some of my best friends are planners. Heck, I am AICP myself – so I am one of them!)
Well, back to the topic at hand:
I wonder what it’d be like if planners took off their masks, became the residents they are, and approached this conference like a family bar-b-q, drinking beer, or enjoying a ballgame (which some of them did, watching the Twins beat the Rays 4 to 3 at the Metrodome.)
I wonder what it’d be like if:
- Instead of meetings we had gatherings;
- Instead of strategizing we had conversations;
- Instead of outcomes we told stories;
- Instead of visioning we dreamed.
Rather than meet to strategize about outcomes and vision, let’s gather to converse, tell stories, and dream… Gathering, conversing, telling stories, and dreaming are natural human acts. Meetings are not a natural human activity.
It is amazing that our puritan roots are our only roots that artificially separate life from art. In all our other cultural roots, art is life and vice versa. Oh, how we could learn from successful:
- HIV/AIDS education in Africa;
- Micro-lending peer-to-peer learning in India;
- Evangelization “comunidades de base” in Latin America;
- Shakespeare plays-in-the-square in the Anglo culture!
All these successful models of community engagement incorporate, weave, and blend the arts with learning and the learning with the arts - indeed, they are one and the same, inseparable. Separating artistic expression – music, dance, poetry, painting, performing – from public discourse is unnatural and illogical.
Therefore, when we seek public discourse and – artificially, I propose – try to control human behavior in staged settings we set ourselves up to fail. Thus, traditional public discourse in the planning discipline – public hearings and such – are boring, ineffective, and inefficient... They may meet the bureaucratic requirement; but they do not serve the intended purpose of authentic public participation.
Where oh where - you may ask - can I see successful engagement models?
Well, various communities throughout the USofA are doing what comes natural: Bringing people together in comfortable settings to talk about their communities and neighborhoods – and coming up with real solutions to make things better. Others are going ‘door to door’ seeing how neighbors are doing and making sure they have access to helpful services.
Want proof? Check out this YouTube video:
HERE
And, the blog from someone that is ‘walking the talk’:
THE VALUE OF PLACE
enJoy,
Reemberto
- WHERE are the minority planners? (Sure, the tokens were there; but nada mas.)
- WHY are planners so boring? (The sessions - with few exceptions - felt like bad public hearings.)
- COULD IT BE time to bury PowerPoint Presentations? (Or at least, could presenters be required to go to PPP101?)
Oh how I yearn to be around regular folks! (Mind you, some of my best friends are planners. Heck, I am AICP myself – so I am one of them!)
Well, back to the topic at hand:
I wonder what it’d be like if planners took off their masks, became the residents they are, and approached this conference like a family bar-b-q, drinking beer, or enjoying a ballgame (which some of them did, watching the Twins beat the Rays 4 to 3 at the Metrodome.)
I wonder what it’d be like if:
- Instead of meetings we had gatherings;
- Instead of strategizing we had conversations;
- Instead of outcomes we told stories;
- Instead of visioning we dreamed.
Rather than meet to strategize about outcomes and vision, let’s gather to converse, tell stories, and dream… Gathering, conversing, telling stories, and dreaming are natural human acts. Meetings are not a natural human activity.
It is amazing that our puritan roots are our only roots that artificially separate life from art. In all our other cultural roots, art is life and vice versa. Oh, how we could learn from successful:
- HIV/AIDS education in Africa;
- Micro-lending peer-to-peer learning in India;
- Evangelization “comunidades de base” in Latin America;
- Shakespeare plays-in-the-square in the Anglo culture!
All these successful models of community engagement incorporate, weave, and blend the arts with learning and the learning with the arts - indeed, they are one and the same, inseparable. Separating artistic expression – music, dance, poetry, painting, performing – from public discourse is unnatural and illogical.
Therefore, when we seek public discourse and – artificially, I propose – try to control human behavior in staged settings we set ourselves up to fail. Thus, traditional public discourse in the planning discipline – public hearings and such – are boring, ineffective, and inefficient... They may meet the bureaucratic requirement; but they do not serve the intended purpose of authentic public participation.
Where oh where - you may ask - can I see successful engagement models?
Well, various communities throughout the USofA are doing what comes natural: Bringing people together in comfortable settings to talk about their communities and neighborhoods – and coming up with real solutions to make things better. Others are going ‘door to door’ seeing how neighbors are doing and making sure they have access to helpful services.
Want proof? Check out this YouTube video:
HERE
And, the blog from someone that is ‘walking the talk’:
THE VALUE OF PLACE
enJoy,
Reemberto
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Hi-Tech, Hi-Touch and the Soul
"We must match our zeal for hi-tech with our passion for hi-touch lest we wire the world and short-circuit the soul."
With all the talk about FaceBook, Tweeter, on-line connection, etc., we really need to make sure we match our zeal for hi-tech with our passion for hi-touch lest we wire the world and short-circuit the soul. This catchy – but all so true - statement is a combination of a theme from yesterday (John Nesbitt, the author of the book “Megatrends” released back in the 80’s) and a line I heard some young author say recently (I can’t remember her name.)
John Nesbitt – who is still around – was instrumental in foreshadowing the hi-tech boom of the latter part of the 20th century. He highlighted, however, that all the hi-tech in the world would be meaningless if we lose sight of the ‘human need’ to touch, feel, see eye-to-eye, and simply ‘be in the same physical space’. Twenty plus years after his famous book “Megatrends” I find myself reading “The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment” (by Margaret Benefiel.) She too reasserts that innate need we have for belonging, being with each other, and finding that inner strength that comes from our connection to others. While neither of these two books is directly about our field of community development, there is a third that brings these themes together in a very potent way. The name of the book is “The Paradox of Power: From Control to Compassion” by Michael H. Crosby. (Google him. He is a Franciscan priest in Milwaukee.) Simply a great, great read.
Also on point and probably more directly related to our field is the work being done by various organizations throughout the country that are trying to respond to the current seismic shift in the economy with a combination of “hi-tech & hi-touch”. One example is something being done right in my backyard, Silver Spring.
We are bringing together the best of ‘old school’ (door knocking) with the best of today’s social media (blogs). Door knocking presses the flesh; blogs link the bytes. Our charge is simple: Let neighbors know that others care, and welcome their participation in common action for their individual and collective wellness. Our commitment is to do 20,000 door knocks and – here’s where the hi-tech comes in – document the process to maximize others getting enthused about the Neighbors Campaign. You can view the blog at http://neighborscampaign.wordpress.com/
Yes, the door knocking and blogging also intends to bring residents news about what services are available to help them through their economic crisis. And yes, the County is our partner… (We are blessed with a County where many of the elected officials and key department administrators "get it".) But, infinitely more important is the enhanced sense of caring and empathy that our community will feel… To know that someone cares; to know where to turn for comfort; to know whose house the next convening is at where people will share stories and maybe offer a hand. Door knocks alone could not get us there; neither could blogs alone… It is the innovative combination of these ‘hi-tech’ / ‘hi-touch’ techniques that will make success possible.
When training our door-knockers, one key point we've made is to ask them to visualize the inside of the house after they walk away. How does the person that just closed the door feel? Are they (a) energized to join others in the process – regardless of their personal situation; or are they (b) left simply knowing what phone number to call for help? Have we left them with (a) a sense that – again, regardless of their personal situation – they have a lot to offer others; or are they left with (b) the sense things are bad and help is somewhere out there? If we left them with (b), it is not enough… We must leave them with (a): A sense that they have lots to offer and and the excitement to do so.
When building our blog, it is critical that we drive people to people – not just to hyperspace. The blog is a tool for informing, yes. But, it is also a tool for exciting people to come together. And people come together in places and spaces where other people are: others’ living rooms; the County’s help center; the street corner happenstance gathering; accompanying others to do more door knocks; etc.
Hi-tech alone can be very efficient in mobilizing for action, getting many people to respond to an immediate situation, and disseminating information. But only good old fashion hi-touch can build long term sustainable relationships that will lead to systemic change in communities. It is through a combination of these two venues (hi-tech and hi-touch) that the soul of the community is most effectively nourished.
http://neighborscampaign.wordpress.com/
With all the talk about FaceBook, Tweeter, on-line connection, etc., we really need to make sure we match our zeal for hi-tech with our passion for hi-touch lest we wire the world and short-circuit the soul. This catchy – but all so true - statement is a combination of a theme from yesterday (John Nesbitt, the author of the book “Megatrends” released back in the 80’s) and a line I heard some young author say recently (I can’t remember her name.)
John Nesbitt – who is still around – was instrumental in foreshadowing the hi-tech boom of the latter part of the 20th century. He highlighted, however, that all the hi-tech in the world would be meaningless if we lose sight of the ‘human need’ to touch, feel, see eye-to-eye, and simply ‘be in the same physical space’. Twenty plus years after his famous book “Megatrends” I find myself reading “The Soul of a Leader: Finding Your Path to Success and Fulfillment” (by Margaret Benefiel.) She too reasserts that innate need we have for belonging, being with each other, and finding that inner strength that comes from our connection to others. While neither of these two books is directly about our field of community development, there is a third that brings these themes together in a very potent way. The name of the book is “The Paradox of Power: From Control to Compassion” by Michael H. Crosby. (Google him. He is a Franciscan priest in Milwaukee.) Simply a great, great read.
Also on point and probably more directly related to our field is the work being done by various organizations throughout the country that are trying to respond to the current seismic shift in the economy with a combination of “hi-tech & hi-touch”. One example is something being done right in my backyard, Silver Spring.
We are bringing together the best of ‘old school’ (door knocking) with the best of today’s social media (blogs). Door knocking presses the flesh; blogs link the bytes. Our charge is simple: Let neighbors know that others care, and welcome their participation in common action for their individual and collective wellness. Our commitment is to do 20,000 door knocks and – here’s where the hi-tech comes in – document the process to maximize others getting enthused about the Neighbors Campaign. You can view the blog at http://neighborscampaign.wordpress.com/
Yes, the door knocking and blogging also intends to bring residents news about what services are available to help them through their economic crisis. And yes, the County is our partner… (We are blessed with a County where many of the elected officials and key department administrators "get it".) But, infinitely more important is the enhanced sense of caring and empathy that our community will feel… To know that someone cares; to know where to turn for comfort; to know whose house the next convening is at where people will share stories and maybe offer a hand. Door knocks alone could not get us there; neither could blogs alone… It is the innovative combination of these ‘hi-tech’ / ‘hi-touch’ techniques that will make success possible.
When training our door-knockers, one key point we've made is to ask them to visualize the inside of the house after they walk away. How does the person that just closed the door feel? Are they (a) energized to join others in the process – regardless of their personal situation; or are they (b) left simply knowing what phone number to call for help? Have we left them with (a) a sense that – again, regardless of their personal situation – they have a lot to offer others; or are they left with (b) the sense things are bad and help is somewhere out there? If we left them with (b), it is not enough… We must leave them with (a): A sense that they have lots to offer and and the excitement to do so.
When building our blog, it is critical that we drive people to people – not just to hyperspace. The blog is a tool for informing, yes. But, it is also a tool for exciting people to come together. And people come together in places and spaces where other people are: others’ living rooms; the County’s help center; the street corner happenstance gathering; accompanying others to do more door knocks; etc.
Hi-tech alone can be very efficient in mobilizing for action, getting many people to respond to an immediate situation, and disseminating information. But only good old fashion hi-touch can build long term sustainable relationships that will lead to systemic change in communities. It is through a combination of these two venues (hi-tech and hi-touch) that the soul of the community is most effectively nourished.
http://neighborscampaign.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Community Engagement [Longer, Revised Version]
This version has the benefit of input from many people... To all: GRACIAS!
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Community Building, Community Organizing, and Community Leadership
Community engagement brings together community building, community organizing, and community leadership to improve lives and strengthen communities. Successful community engagement is the positive, constructive convergence of strong community building efforts and active community organizing with a relentless commitment to community leadership.
We are faced with the increasingly difficult challenge of stabilizing our communities and neighborhoods in the face of the devastating impact of economic disruptions and dislocation, foreclosure, joblessness, and diminishing traditional resources. Bricks and mortar alone are not the answer. Traditional involvement models no longer suffice. These models are impeded by the real stress of longer commutes, multiple jobs, and larger number of families caring for the young and old simultaneously. The resiliency of community residents and leaders is tested like never before; yet their boldness to invent new ways to engage the community consistently shines.
Participation in community – indeed, volunteerism in general – has matured beyond simply going to meetings or helping out the local charity. Community organizing, community building, and community leadership now come together to engage the whole community to create a better place to live, work, play, and worship.
Bringing together the traditional interests of residents, business, and government now expands to include social entrepreneurs; youth; on-line participants; the non-English speaker; renters as well as homeowners; the unemployed as well as the employed; the one-time volunteer as well as the fervent activist; new comers as well as established residents and interests. How decisions are made at the local level have become increasingly critical – and linked – to regional, national, and international issues. Today we are challenged with building our human capital, strengthening relationships, and connecting people to act in ways that yield tangible, measurable results in our lives and communities.
New and emerging issues require new tools, techniques and approaches. Some of these include: greening our neighborhoods; effectively managing family wealth and health; connecting the local economy to civic and volunteer participation; bringing to the decision process the voices of underserved communities; and tapping into the on-line world while reaffirming face-to-face connections.
It is through community engagement that people connect to improve lives where they live, and bring together individual, institutional, and social network interests to serve the common good. It is through the community building, community organizing, and community leadership that community engagement happens. Community engagement thrives when partnerships, collaborations and coalitions are nourished. Its values are rooted in inclusion, tolerance, and active participation. These values and context are operationalized in a real-world environment that is first and foremost diverse. Diversity is the driving cultural paradigm of successful community engagement. Ultimately it is through connecting people that communities thrive.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Community Building, Community Organizing, and Community Leadership
Community engagement brings together community building, community organizing, and community leadership to improve lives and strengthen communities. Successful community engagement is the positive, constructive convergence of strong community building efforts and active community organizing with a relentless commitment to community leadership.
We are faced with the increasingly difficult challenge of stabilizing our communities and neighborhoods in the face of the devastating impact of economic disruptions and dislocation, foreclosure, joblessness, and diminishing traditional resources. Bricks and mortar alone are not the answer. Traditional involvement models no longer suffice. These models are impeded by the real stress of longer commutes, multiple jobs, and larger number of families caring for the young and old simultaneously. The resiliency of community residents and leaders is tested like never before; yet their boldness to invent new ways to engage the community consistently shines.
Participation in community – indeed, volunteerism in general – has matured beyond simply going to meetings or helping out the local charity. Community organizing, community building, and community leadership now come together to engage the whole community to create a better place to live, work, play, and worship.
Bringing together the traditional interests of residents, business, and government now expands to include social entrepreneurs; youth; on-line participants; the non-English speaker; renters as well as homeowners; the unemployed as well as the employed; the one-time volunteer as well as the fervent activist; new comers as well as established residents and interests. How decisions are made at the local level have become increasingly critical – and linked – to regional, national, and international issues. Today we are challenged with building our human capital, strengthening relationships, and connecting people to act in ways that yield tangible, measurable results in our lives and communities.
New and emerging issues require new tools, techniques and approaches. Some of these include: greening our neighborhoods; effectively managing family wealth and health; connecting the local economy to civic and volunteer participation; bringing to the decision process the voices of underserved communities; and tapping into the on-line world while reaffirming face-to-face connections.
It is through community engagement that people connect to improve lives where they live, and bring together individual, institutional, and social network interests to serve the common good. It is through the community building, community organizing, and community leadership that community engagement happens. Community engagement thrives when partnerships, collaborations and coalitions are nourished. Its values are rooted in inclusion, tolerance, and active participation. These values and context are operationalized in a real-world environment that is first and foremost diverse. Diversity is the driving cultural paradigm of successful community engagement. Ultimately it is through connecting people that communities thrive.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Reflexion on the Inauguration - A New Day
What an incredible view it was! To be in front of the Washington Monument, looking towards the Capital during President Obama's Inauguration was truly a special personal, family, and community experience.
Our local community organization (IMPACT Silver Spring) was honored to host 15 staff and volunteers from the Lawrence Community Works (a NeighborWorks Organization) for this momentous event. To see the event through their eyes was simply beautiful. The three Latinas that stayed at our house were jubilant beyond words. None had ever come to Washington, DC. And all were simply ecstatic to be here for the day.
We got the buzz going the night before the Inauguration when we had dinner at the house of one of our volunteer board members. The tears started rolling when we went 'around the room' and asked folks "why are we here"? The responses were too emotional to hold back the tears: "I can now believe it myself when I tell my son and daughter 'you can be anything you want'"; "This is the reason I came to America"; "As a first time voter, it is awesome to see my friends - all under 25 years old - be so totally into it"; "My grandson will see this day in the history books and I want to make sure he knows I was there"... And my favorite - from a bumper sticker: "I am here because as of today 'HOPE > FEAR' (hope is greater than fear)".
Then came the tough decision: How early should we go down to the Mall? The young people decided they'd go in the first Metro train, thus getting down there early enough to stake out our location in front of the Washington Monument. They assumed the others could follow much later. Ha! - not a chance!... EVERYBODY wanted to head down early. Our three guests - or rather, our new friends - told my wife and I: "not a minute later than 5 a.m.!"... And, when we got down to Mall well before sunrise, they were not satisfied with the view from the Washington Monument: They ran - literally! - all the way down to get as close to the Capital as possible. (The rest of us opted to stay put, however, at the foot of the Washington Monument - a major transcendental spot for the moment, to say the least.)
We passed the time by playing a bit of football (before the crowd got so big it became impossible), and chanting - en Español - a chant the folks from Lawrence brought to us: "O-B-A-M-A Obama ya ganó"... We were so loud that one of the news stations picked it up!
Given the impossibility of keeping a group of 25 people together, we had arranged to meet in the afternoon at a local office space before taking the Metro back home. (And, boy-o-boy, did that hot chocolate and heated space feel good!)
Later in the evening, we had our own version of a "Ball" at the local pool hall in Downtown Silver Spring, where the monitors usually reserved for watching Redskins games were all tuned to the different news channel... So, we danced the night away with our friends from Lawrence while commenting on all the beautiful people and enjoying the visuals from all the other "Balls".
When it was time to say 'good-bye' this morning, it was not easy... But, amongst the hugs and the tears we simply resolved to "do it again in four years."
For pictures & more: www.reemberto.com/inauguration_2009.html
Our local community organization (IMPACT Silver Spring) was honored to host 15 staff and volunteers from the Lawrence Community Works (a NeighborWorks Organization) for this momentous event. To see the event through their eyes was simply beautiful. The three Latinas that stayed at our house were jubilant beyond words. None had ever come to Washington, DC. And all were simply ecstatic to be here for the day.
We got the buzz going the night before the Inauguration when we had dinner at the house of one of our volunteer board members. The tears started rolling when we went 'around the room' and asked folks "why are we here"? The responses were too emotional to hold back the tears: "I can now believe it myself when I tell my son and daughter 'you can be anything you want'"; "This is the reason I came to America"; "As a first time voter, it is awesome to see my friends - all under 25 years old - be so totally into it"; "My grandson will see this day in the history books and I want to make sure he knows I was there"... And my favorite - from a bumper sticker: "I am here because as of today 'HOPE > FEAR' (hope is greater than fear)".
Then came the tough decision: How early should we go down to the Mall? The young people decided they'd go in the first Metro train, thus getting down there early enough to stake out our location in front of the Washington Monument. They assumed the others could follow much later. Ha! - not a chance!... EVERYBODY wanted to head down early. Our three guests - or rather, our new friends - told my wife and I: "not a minute later than 5 a.m.!"... And, when we got down to Mall well before sunrise, they were not satisfied with the view from the Washington Monument: They ran - literally! - all the way down to get as close to the Capital as possible. (The rest of us opted to stay put, however, at the foot of the Washington Monument - a major transcendental spot for the moment, to say the least.)
We passed the time by playing a bit of football (before the crowd got so big it became impossible), and chanting - en Español - a chant the folks from Lawrence brought to us: "O-B-A-M-A Obama ya ganó"... We were so loud that one of the news stations picked it up!
Given the impossibility of keeping a group of 25 people together, we had arranged to meet in the afternoon at a local office space before taking the Metro back home. (And, boy-o-boy, did that hot chocolate and heated space feel good!)
Later in the evening, we had our own version of a "Ball" at the local pool hall in Downtown Silver Spring, where the monitors usually reserved for watching Redskins games were all tuned to the different news channel... So, we danced the night away with our friends from Lawrence while commenting on all the beautiful people and enjoying the visuals from all the other "Balls".
When it was time to say 'good-bye' this morning, it was not easy... But, amongst the hugs and the tears we simply resolved to "do it again in four years."
For pictures & more: www.reemberto.com/inauguration_2009.html
Friday, December 19, 2008
Is a working definition of Community Engagement possible?... Here’s a try!
Community engagement connects people to improve lives where they live.
Community engagement brings together individual, institutional, and social network interests to serve the common good. It is through the community building (institutional), community organizing (social networks), and community leadership (individual) infrastructure that community engagement happens.
Community engagement thrives in a context where partnerships, collaborations and coalitions are nourished. Its values are rooted in inclusion, tolerance, and active participation.
These values and context are operationalized in a real-world environment that is first and foremost diverse. This ‘diversity reality’ must be understood, acknowledged, and recognized as the driving cultural paradigm of community engagement.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The definition offered above is intended to be a ‘working draft’. It is intended to be a ‘starting point’ for people embarking on a community engagement process to mull over, revise, and adjust to local realities.
Please chime in with your comments and ideas.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What exactly is community engagement? A Google search and the Wikipedia definition provide some rather interested, but narrow and incomplete results. Academic research does not fare much better.
It appears that the term ‘community engagement’ is currently being used most in university settings referring to engaging students in community life. Also, there seems to be quite a few entrepreneurs that are trying to claim it as an area of consultancy. Interestingly enough, the domain name ‘communityengagement’ is still available as a .com and .org.
One thing that community engagement is not, is ‘civic’ engagement. Civic engagement connotes a certain level of formality, duty, ‘citizen-driven’, voters registration, Elks Club-type engagement that is intuitively different from ‘community’ engagement.
Neither is community engagement the same as ‘citizen participation’. Citizen participation usually refers to involvement in the political process; i.e.: public hearings.
Democratic governance, citizen juries, innovative polling practices and other emerging techniques offer a glimpse of how related fields can have similar “feel” to community engagement. New technologies (the internet and smart phones in particular) are reshaping how engagement, participation, and mobilization can happen in lighting speed. Certainly, the recent elections are a vivid example.
While all of the above is certainly related to community engagement, community engagement is more… Yet, can we define it? We can try.
The definition offered below is intended to be a ‘working draft’. It is intended to be a ‘starting point’ for people embarking on a community engagement process to mull over, revise, and adjust to local realities.
Please chime in with your comments and ideas.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Community engagement connects people to improve lives where they live.
Community engagement brings together individual, institutional, and social network interests to serve the common good. It is through the community building (institutional), community organizing (social networks), and community leadership (individual) infrastructure that community engagement happens.
Community engagement thrives in a context where partnerships, collaborations and coalitions are nourished. Its values are rooted in inclusion, tolerance, and active participation.
These values and context are operationalized in a real-world environment that is first and foremost diverse. This ‘diversity reality’ must be understood, acknowledged, and recognized as the driving cultural paradigm of community engagement.
Successful community engagement yields tangible, practical, meaningful, measureable, and impactful results valuable to the community at large, not only to those engaged in the process or vested in the results.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Political Constituency and Community Engagement
POLITICAL CONSTITUENCY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
A sobering thought: Even in this exhilarating, exciting, and most expensive of all political campaigns ever, less than 1/3 (29%) of adults in the U.S. voted for the winning presidential candidate.
The math:
First, the Bad News Analysis:
At many local elections the percent of the population that votes for the winning candidate may be as low as 10%. Ten percent of the adults in a given jurisdiction may determine who wins Mayor, City Council, or any other of these critical offices. That means that in a City or Congressional district of 50,000 you can get elected with a constituency of 5,000. Given that most voting households have at least two voting adults, you can get elected by responding to 2,500 family units.
Traditionally, it is these people that vote that the politicians remain most accountable to. It is they who get the favors; it is they that get listened to; it is they who get the politician re-elected over and over and over again.
Sure, the elected official must reach out to those that did not vote for him or her to ensure enough ‘pro voters’ are replaced with ‘new voters’. But, in the game of politics, this is most often a very calculated outreach. Once in office, all too often the question becomes: What is the least number of new people I need to convince to get re-elected?
The above analysis is not an indictment or a negative statement of the political process or elected officials. Rather, it is the blunt reality of how government all too often works.
In the world of community engagement, on the other hand, we are about reaching out across the political and socio-economic spectrum to ensure all have a voice at the table of public discourse and decision making. We want the disenfranchised at the table: Among many – at times 90% of our neighbors! – this includes the ones who did not vote; the ones who could not vote; the ones who could not leave work to go to the public hearing; the ones who did not answer the door; the forgotten renter; the transient; the undocumented; the ones who speak another language… and many many more.
So, it is not difficult to see why there will also be an uneasy, healthy friction between the world of politics and the world of community engagement.
Political expediency oftentimes mandates a process that listens to those most able to speak, which more often than not means listening to those who already have a voice… It is most often a tried-and-true, prescribed process.
Community engagement most often requires time, effort, and outreach to those less likely to speak and therefore is seldom if ever expedient… It is most often a messy, rambling, lengthy process; seldom expedient.
Proceed With Caution
Wherever there are efforts to collaborate and partner with government in community engagement efforts there should be a big sign saying: Proceed with Caution. All too often the political listening process is truly an ‘illusion of inclusion’: Go through the motions of a public hearing; get written comments; ‘engage’ the citizenry… Seldom is there an attempt – or a reason – to legitimately reach out at the soccer fields; at the apartment complex; in the waiting hall of social service agencies; at the basketball courts.
Thus, when we speak of ‘community engagement’ to elected officials (or political appointees) we should understand that their inherent bias is to filter the information through their lenses: How can this ‘engagement’ help me connect to potential voters? While this might be an obvious observation, it is all too often the ‘elephant in the room’.
The outcome of a successful community engagement process is not always necessarily aligned with the interests of a successful political process.
So, does this mean that joining forces with the government to pursue community engagement should not be done? No! Quite the contrary.
The New School of Thought
As we move forward in this post-partisan world, it is not only possible to join forces with government to pursue community engagement efforts, it is indispensable.
Recently I was fortunate enough to attend the National League of Cities (NCL) conference. While attending small sessions, a large plenary, walking the hallways, and sitting at the bar, it became increasingly apparent to me how much these elected officials are ‘just like us’.
There were over 7,000 elected officials and political appointees at the conference. Many of them were from small towns and cities. There seemed to be a good cross section of full-time (life-long) politicians and part-time politicians who are also businesswomen, shop-owners, and non-profit managers.
In so many ways, many of these folks seemed very similar to the folks that attend our NeighborWorks America Community Leadership Institutes (CLI): Regular folks that for varied reasons have a personal interest in making things better in their neighborhood and/or community – and are willing to invest personal time and energy in leading the charge… Some choose to pursue the elected route (the NLC crowd); others choose to be key volunteers (the CLI crowd)… But ultimately, they are us and we are them.
I came back from the conference with a renewed and reaffirmed sense of excitement that the world of politics and community engagement can – and should – work together. Healthy tensions will remain – and that is a good thing. Each has different expectations. But, both can find common ground in improving techniques, sharing tools, and joining forces to reach out to the political constituency and maximize community engagement.
Postscript
As a very hopeful sign of things to come, I was extremely pleased to see that the incoming administration is asking supporters to hold “Change is Coming” neighborhood discussions the weekend of December 13th and 14th. What caught my attention was the request to be inclusive in these sessions. The notice said: “Please invite those who might not have been involved in the campaign, even those who might have supported our opponent.”
In my own neighborhood (Silver Spring, MD) we’ve already begun this process. On November 15th, we convened a ‘call to action’, inviting folks to join us in discussing how the energy given to the presidential elections could be channeled to local efforts. We expected 30 people to show up. Over 80 did. Watch a video capturing the energy in the church basement at
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8334800488825004233&hl=en
NOTE: The video footage was taken with a camera phone and then spliced together ‘amateurishly’ (i.e.: much more a ‘labor of love’ than a professional production.)
A sobering thought: Even in this exhilarating, exciting, and most expensive of all political campaigns ever, less than 1/3 (29%) of adults in the U.S. voted for the winning presidential candidate.
The math:
- There are approximately 3 million people in the U.S.
- Of these, approximately 3/4 (225,000,000) are over 18.
- Of which a bit less than 3/4 (72% or 168,750,000) are registered to vote.
- Of these, again a bit less than 3/4 (73.11% or 123,373,000) voted in the presidential election.
- 53% (65,388,000) of those that voted did so for Obama.
- That is 29% of adults in the U.S.
First, the Bad News Analysis:
At many local elections the percent of the population that votes for the winning candidate may be as low as 10%. Ten percent of the adults in a given jurisdiction may determine who wins Mayor, City Council, or any other of these critical offices. That means that in a City or Congressional district of 50,000 you can get elected with a constituency of 5,000. Given that most voting households have at least two voting adults, you can get elected by responding to 2,500 family units.
Traditionally, it is these people that vote that the politicians remain most accountable to. It is they who get the favors; it is they that get listened to; it is they who get the politician re-elected over and over and over again.
Sure, the elected official must reach out to those that did not vote for him or her to ensure enough ‘pro voters’ are replaced with ‘new voters’. But, in the game of politics, this is most often a very calculated outreach. Once in office, all too often the question becomes: What is the least number of new people I need to convince to get re-elected?
The above analysis is not an indictment or a negative statement of the political process or elected officials. Rather, it is the blunt reality of how government all too often works.
In the world of community engagement, on the other hand, we are about reaching out across the political and socio-economic spectrum to ensure all have a voice at the table of public discourse and decision making. We want the disenfranchised at the table: Among many – at times 90% of our neighbors! – this includes the ones who did not vote; the ones who could not vote; the ones who could not leave work to go to the public hearing; the ones who did not answer the door; the forgotten renter; the transient; the undocumented; the ones who speak another language… and many many more.
So, it is not difficult to see why there will also be an uneasy, healthy friction between the world of politics and the world of community engagement.
Political expediency oftentimes mandates a process that listens to those most able to speak, which more often than not means listening to those who already have a voice… It is most often a tried-and-true, prescribed process.
Community engagement most often requires time, effort, and outreach to those less likely to speak and therefore is seldom if ever expedient… It is most often a messy, rambling, lengthy process; seldom expedient.
Proceed With Caution
Wherever there are efforts to collaborate and partner with government in community engagement efforts there should be a big sign saying: Proceed with Caution. All too often the political listening process is truly an ‘illusion of inclusion’: Go through the motions of a public hearing; get written comments; ‘engage’ the citizenry… Seldom is there an attempt – or a reason – to legitimately reach out at the soccer fields; at the apartment complex; in the waiting hall of social service agencies; at the basketball courts.
Thus, when we speak of ‘community engagement’ to elected officials (or political appointees) we should understand that their inherent bias is to filter the information through their lenses: How can this ‘engagement’ help me connect to potential voters? While this might be an obvious observation, it is all too often the ‘elephant in the room’.
The outcome of a successful community engagement process is not always necessarily aligned with the interests of a successful political process.
So, does this mean that joining forces with the government to pursue community engagement should not be done? No! Quite the contrary.
The New School of Thought
As we move forward in this post-partisan world, it is not only possible to join forces with government to pursue community engagement efforts, it is indispensable.
Recently I was fortunate enough to attend the National League of Cities (NCL) conference. While attending small sessions, a large plenary, walking the hallways, and sitting at the bar, it became increasingly apparent to me how much these elected officials are ‘just like us’.
There were over 7,000 elected officials and political appointees at the conference. Many of them were from small towns and cities. There seemed to be a good cross section of full-time (life-long) politicians and part-time politicians who are also businesswomen, shop-owners, and non-profit managers.
In so many ways, many of these folks seemed very similar to the folks that attend our NeighborWorks America Community Leadership Institutes (CLI): Regular folks that for varied reasons have a personal interest in making things better in their neighborhood and/or community – and are willing to invest personal time and energy in leading the charge… Some choose to pursue the elected route (the NLC crowd); others choose to be key volunteers (the CLI crowd)… But ultimately, they are us and we are them.
I came back from the conference with a renewed and reaffirmed sense of excitement that the world of politics and community engagement can – and should – work together. Healthy tensions will remain – and that is a good thing. Each has different expectations. But, both can find common ground in improving techniques, sharing tools, and joining forces to reach out to the political constituency and maximize community engagement.
Postscript
As a very hopeful sign of things to come, I was extremely pleased to see that the incoming administration is asking supporters to hold “Change is Coming” neighborhood discussions the weekend of December 13th and 14th. What caught my attention was the request to be inclusive in these sessions. The notice said: “Please invite those who might not have been involved in the campaign, even those who might have supported our opponent.”
In my own neighborhood (Silver Spring, MD) we’ve already begun this process. On November 15th, we convened a ‘call to action’, inviting folks to join us in discussing how the energy given to the presidential elections could be channeled to local efforts. We expected 30 people to show up. Over 80 did. Watch a video capturing the energy in the church basement at
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8334800488825004233&hl=en
NOTE: The video footage was taken with a camera phone and then spliced together ‘amateurishly’ (i.e.: much more a ‘labor of love’ than a professional production.)
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