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/

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.

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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.

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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.