{"id":40824,"date":"2021-06-19T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-20T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/"},"modified":"2024-02-22T09:09:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T14:09:14","slug":"what-is-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"blog_posts","link":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Community Engagement?"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":40825,"template":"","resource_tax_market":[187,188,189,190,186],"resource_tax_dept":[198],"resource_tax_type":[164],"resource_tax_region":[],"resource_tax_outcomes":[205],"resource_tax_topic":[],"resource_tax_products":[191],"resource_tax_solutions":[214],"resource_tax_services":[],"class_list":["post-40824","blog_posts","type-blog_posts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_tax_market-central-government-uk","resource_tax_market-healthcare-uk","resource_tax_market-emergency-services-uk","resource_tax_market-housing-uk","resource_tax_market-local-government-uk","resource_tax_dept-engagement-community-outreach-uk","resource_tax_type-blogs-uk","resource_tax_outcomes-foster-community-engagement-uk","resource_tax_products-engagementhq-uk","resource_tax_solutions-engagement-uk"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is Community Engagement?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Community engagement, citizen participation &amp; public participation, what are the differences? Get the answers in this Granicus Engagement 101 series.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Community Engagement?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Community engagement, citizen participation &amp; public participation, what are the differences? Get the answers in this Granicus Engagement 101 series.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Granicus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicusco\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-22T14:09:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"590\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"What is Community Engagement?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Granicus\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Granicus Marketing\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/86d618ccb52051e285962f72626e8881\"},\"headline\":\"What is Community Engagement?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-20T03:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-22T14:09:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\"},\"wordCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\",\"name\":\"What is Community Engagement?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-20T03:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-22T14:09:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"Community engagement, citizen participation & public participation, what are the differences? Get the answers in this Granicus Engagement 101 series.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":590},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is Community Engagement?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/\",\"name\":\"Granicus\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Granicus\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Granicus-G-logo-Red.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Granicus-G-logo-Red.svg\",\"width\":\"1024\",\"height\":\"1024\",\"caption\":\"Granicus\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicusco\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Granicus\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/granicusinc\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicusco\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicuslac\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@GranicusLAC\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/granicuslac\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/granicuslac\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/granicuslac\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GranicusUK\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/86d618ccb52051e285962f72626e8881\",\"name\":\"Granicus Marketing\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f18a3514fa5c1d54c5ef212b4ddd23f1946461a2d8d778191a29a45101706969?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f18a3514fa5c1d54c5ef212b4ddd23f1946461a2d8d778191a29a45101706969?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Granicus Marketing\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is Community Engagement?","description":"Community engagement, citizen participation & public participation, what are the differences? Get the answers in this Granicus Engagement 101 series.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is Community Engagement?","og_description":"Community engagement, citizen participation & public participation, what are the differences? Get the answers in this Granicus Engagement 101 series.","og_url":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/","og_site_name":"Granicus","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicusco\/","article_modified_time":"2024-02-22T14:09:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":590,"url":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"What is Community Engagement?","twitter_site":"@Granicus","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/"},"author":{"name":"Granicus Marketing","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/86d618ccb52051e285962f72626e8881"},"headline":"What is Community Engagement?","datePublished":"2021-06-20T03:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-22T14:09:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/"},"wordCount":4,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg","inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/","url":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/","name":"What is Community Engagement?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg","datePublished":"2021-06-20T03:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-22T14:09:14+00:00","description":"Community engagement, citizen participation & public participation, what are the differences? Get the answers in this Granicus Engagement 101 series.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/whitepaper-header-community-engagement101.jpg","width":1440,"height":590},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is Community Engagement?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/","name":"Granicus","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#organization","name":"Granicus","url":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Granicus-G-logo-Red.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Granicus-G-logo-Red.svg","width":"1024","height":"1024","caption":"Granicus"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicusco\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Granicus","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/granicusinc\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicusco","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granicuslac","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@GranicusLAC","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/granicuslac\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/granicuslac","https:\/\/twitter.com\/granicuslac\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/GranicusUK"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/86d618ccb52051e285962f72626e8881","name":"Granicus Marketing","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f18a3514fa5c1d54c5ef212b4ddd23f1946461a2d8d778191a29a45101706969?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f18a3514fa5c1d54c5ef212b4ddd23f1946461a2d8d778191a29a45101706969?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Granicus Marketing"}}]}},"acf":{"page_type":"internal","external_url":"","page_template":"centered","sidebar_position":"right","post_author":"","post_date":"","post_description":"","post_link":"","post_file":false,"media_gallery":false,"project_metrics_title":"","project_metrics":false,"show_hero":false,"hero_margin":false,"hero_type":"image","hero_subhead":"","hero_headline":"","hero_text":"","hero_button":"","hero_icon":false,"hero_image":false,"sidebar_type":"sticky","content_builder_sidebar_group":{"content_builder_sidebar":false},"flexible_page_builder_group":{"flexible_page_builder_fields":[{"acf_fc_layout":"wysiwyg","add_menu_anchor":false,"anchor_menu_text":"","wysiwyg_group":{"show_section":true,"alignment":"left","subhead":"","headline":"","wysiwyg":"<p>Community engagement is based on the democratic idea that everyone who is affected by an issue that impacts their community should have a say in the decision making around it. It, moreover, holds the promise that public participation can influence decisions that affect the provision of services, future visions and sustainability of our communities.<\/p>\n<p>Although there is <a href=\"\/blog\/define-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no commonly agreed to community engagement definition<\/a> and the use of the term varies widely (sharing in notions of consultation, participation, collaboration and empowerment), community engagement captures its meaning in mutual decision making. People, governments and organisations work collaboratively to create &#8211; and realise &#8211; sustainable visions for their community\u2019s future. For governments and organisations, it\u2019s about working with, and listening to, communities to build long term relationships and develop meaningful solutions to complex issues. By deepening these relationships, ideally, the value of inclusivity is central, where government entities create dialogue with the very diversity of their communities.<\/p>\n<p>In recognising the needs and aspirations of all participants, community engagement promotes the idea that, through <em>intentional<\/em> interactions between government organisations and communities, community members can &#8211; and do &#8211; influence policy making. That is, community engagement\u2019s promise is to better engage community to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iap2.org\/page\/corevalues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">help make better public decisions<\/a>. It is, thereby, both an <em>orientation<\/em> toward the importance of community members\u2019 lived experience to influence interactions between government organisations and communities, and an <em>approach<\/em> that guides the process of those interactions.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Community engagement seeks to engage community to achieve sustainable outcomes, equitable decision-making processes, and deepen relationships and trust between government organisations and communities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-37656\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granicus.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/image\/jpeg\/blog-community-engagement-101-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"community at a market\" width=\"1440\" height=\"590\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>Is community engagement the same as citizen participation and public participation?<\/h2>\n<p>At times interchangeable with citizen participation, community engagement differs primarily in the divergent roles that community members and public decision makers play. Community engagement requires <em>intentional<\/em> interactions between communities and public decision makers, whereas citizen participation is mobilised by &#8211; and for \u2013 citizens and community groups.<\/p>\n<p>Public participation, on the other hand, takes into account the full range of activities that people undertake to shape policy outcomes \u2013 from citizen-led to state-sanctioned. Engaging with structures and organisational bodies of democracy, this includes everything from voting and lobbying to participating in demonstrations.<\/p>\n<p>But although a political practice, public participation is a path to citizen empowerment critical to well-functioning democracies \u2013 particularly relevant in the twenty-first century\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eiu.com\/topic\/democracy-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">declining democracy globally<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Increasingly, public participation has become vitally important with commitments to improve its role in policy decision making globally. Indeed, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sustainabledevelopment.un.org\/post2015\/transformingourworld\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/a> \u2013 created using unprecedented participation involving more than 7.5 million people from over 190 countries \u2013 embeds\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/indicators.report\/targets\/16-7\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inclusive democratic participation in the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Community engagement requires intentional interactions between communities and public decision makers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Emphasis on the lived experience of community members taking a front seat and local knowledges inflecting decision-making processes, challenges a top-down approach to public decision making. In demonstrating that community contribution matters, public participation challenges the linear, or one-way relationship between government organisations and communities and promotes productive, durable change through, among other things, <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/resource\/whitepaper-deliberative-dialogue-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">deliberative dialogue<\/a>. (In this way, public participation is important even if it doesn\u2019t directly influence policy decisions as it can produce new, localised knowledge that generates information that can shift government policy agendas.)<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, community engagement provides participants with information they need to engage in a meaningful way with policy issues and communicates, via feedback, how their input affects public decisions. It builds and sustains relationships between communities and government entities into the future.<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-37645\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granicus.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/image\/jpeg\/blog-community-engagement-101-what-is-community-engagement-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"590\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>What are the types of community engagement?<\/h2>\n<p>On a manifest level, traditional and digital engagement, or what we call\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/resource\/whitepaper-digital-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">digital-first engagement<\/a>, implies the way we engage communities. Traditional, \u201cin person\u201d or what is commonly called \u201cface to face\u201d community engagement can take the form of\u00a0citizen\u2019s juries,\u00a0citizen\u2019s assemblies\u00a0or public meetings and consultations, for instance. These connect people and build relationships in a hands-on environment while accessing information necessary for community members to have their say on the issues at hand.<\/p>\n<p>Digital-first community engagement can include, among other things, <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/blog\/engagementhq-online-community-engagement-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">participatory forums, online community panels and digital storytelling<\/a>, enabling deeper questions to be asked of the issues at hand. While the\u00a0opportunities of digital-first engagement approach\u00a0are many \u2013 including a flexible environment, inclusion of a diversity of voices and expansive reach \u2013 both methods are essential to connect communities with decision-making processes.<\/p>\n<p>At a more latent level, these differing types are often integrated in an engagement process that works within an engagement framework. Governments and organizations utilise engagement frameworks, or models, that use traditional and digital engagement within formal engagement processes. (This is different to citizen participation that utilises informal processes to voice opinions about policies.) Formal or \u2018state-sanctioned\u2019 participation initiatives invite the public to engage beyond voting \u2013 such as citizen\u2019s assemblies, citizen juries or participatory budgets. Although partaking in the same goal \u2013 improving public services and projects \u2013 these differ from the types of activities created by citizens, residents and community members themselves through their shared identities and common interests. But, as we see when we ask, <a href=\"\/blog\/how-do-you-engage-communities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u2018how do you engage communities?\u2019<\/a>, formal initiatives don\u2019t preclude communities actively shaping processes and outcomes of public decisions in the improvement of provision of services for their community.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Explore the Community Engagement 101 Series:<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What is Community Engagement<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/why-is-community-engagement-important\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why is Community Engagement Important<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/benefits-of-online-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benefits of Online Community Engagement<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/how-do-you-engage-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How do you Engage Communities Online<\/a><\/p>\n","button":""}}]},"posts_slider_group":{"show_section":true,"posts_slider":[{"add_anchor":false,"anchor_name":"","background_color":"green","slider_subhead":"","slider_headline":"Discover More Blogs","slider_text":"","slider_type":"blog_posts","manual_resources":false,"slider_resource_tax":"recent","add_additional_filters":false,"department_filter":false,"market_filter":false,"outcome_filter":false,"product_filter":false,"region_filter":false,"solution_filter":false,"topic_filter":false,"slider_link":{"title":"View All Resources","url":"\/uk\/learning-center\/","target":""},"slider_link_icon":false}]},"centered_layout_builder_clone":{"flexible_page_builder_group":{"flexible_page_builder_fields":[{"acf_fc_layout":"wysiwyg","add_menu_anchor":false,"anchor_menu_text":"","wysiwyg_group":{"show_section":true,"alignment":"left","subhead":"","headline":"","wysiwyg":"<p>Community engagement is based on the democratic idea that everyone who is affected by an issue that impacts their community should have a say in the decision making around it. It, moreover, holds the promise that public participation can influence decisions that affect the provision of services, future visions and sustainability of our communities.<\/p>\n<p>Although there is <a href=\"\/blog\/define-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no commonly agreed to community engagement definition<\/a> and the use of the term varies widely (sharing in notions of consultation, participation, collaboration and empowerment), community engagement captures its meaning in mutual decision making. People, governments and organisations work collaboratively to create &#8211; and realise &#8211; sustainable visions for their community\u2019s future. For governments and organisations, it\u2019s about working with, and listening to, communities to build long term relationships and develop meaningful solutions to complex issues. By deepening these relationships, ideally, the value of inclusivity is central, where government entities create dialogue with the very diversity of their communities.<\/p>\n<p>In recognising the needs and aspirations of all participants, community engagement promotes the idea that, through <em>intentional<\/em> interactions between government organisations and communities, community members can &#8211; and do &#8211; influence policy making. That is, community engagement\u2019s promise is to better engage community to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iap2.org\/page\/corevalues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">help make better public decisions<\/a>. It is, thereby, both an <em>orientation<\/em> toward the importance of community members\u2019 lived experience to influence interactions between government organisations and communities, and an <em>approach<\/em> that guides the process of those interactions.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Community engagement seeks to engage community to achieve sustainable outcomes, equitable decision-making processes, and deepen relationships and trust between government organisations and communities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-37656\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granicus.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/image\/jpeg\/blog-community-engagement-101-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"community at a market\" width=\"1440\" height=\"590\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>Is community engagement the same as citizen participation and public participation?<\/h2>\n<p>At times interchangeable with citizen participation, community engagement differs primarily in the divergent roles that community members and public decision makers play. Community engagement requires <em>intentional<\/em> interactions between communities and public decision makers, whereas citizen participation is mobilised by &#8211; and for \u2013 citizens and community groups.<\/p>\n<p>Public participation, on the other hand, takes into account the full range of activities that people undertake to shape policy outcomes \u2013 from citizen-led to state-sanctioned. Engaging with structures and organisational bodies of democracy, this includes everything from voting and lobbying to participating in demonstrations.<\/p>\n<p>But although a political practice, public participation is a path to citizen empowerment critical to well-functioning democracies \u2013 particularly relevant in the twenty-first century\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eiu.com\/topic\/democracy-index\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">declining democracy globally<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Increasingly, public participation has become vitally important with commitments to improve its role in policy decision making globally. Indeed, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sustainabledevelopment.un.org\/post2015\/transformingourworld\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development<\/a> \u2013 created using unprecedented participation involving more than 7.5 million people from over 190 countries \u2013 embeds\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/indicators.report\/targets\/16-7\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inclusive democratic participation in the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Community engagement requires intentional interactions between communities and public decision makers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Emphasis on the lived experience of community members taking a front seat and local knowledges inflecting decision-making processes, challenges a top-down approach to public decision making. In demonstrating that community contribution matters, public participation challenges the linear, or one-way relationship between government organisations and communities and promotes productive, durable change through, among other things, <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/resource\/whitepaper-deliberative-dialogue-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">deliberative dialogue<\/a>. (In this way, public participation is important even if it doesn\u2019t directly influence policy decisions as it can produce new, localised knowledge that generates information that can shift government policy agendas.)<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, community engagement provides participants with information they need to engage in a meaningful way with policy issues and communicates, via feedback, how their input affects public decisions. It builds and sustains relationships between communities and government entities into the future.<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-37645\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granicus.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/image\/jpeg\/blog-community-engagement-101-what-is-community-engagement-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"590\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2>What are the types of community engagement?<\/h2>\n<p>On a manifest level, traditional and digital engagement, or what we call\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/resource\/whitepaper-digital-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">digital-first engagement<\/a>, implies the way we engage communities. Traditional, \u201cin person\u201d or what is commonly called \u201cface to face\u201d community engagement can take the form of\u00a0citizen\u2019s juries,\u00a0citizen\u2019s assemblies\u00a0or public meetings and consultations, for instance. These connect people and build relationships in a hands-on environment while accessing information necessary for community members to have their say on the issues at hand.<\/p>\n<p>Digital-first community engagement can include, among other things, <a href=\"https:\/\/granicus.uk\/blog\/engagementhq-online-community-engagement-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">participatory forums, online community panels and digital storytelling<\/a>, enabling deeper questions to be asked of the issues at hand. While the\u00a0opportunities of digital-first engagement approach\u00a0are many \u2013 including a flexible environment, inclusion of a diversity of voices and expansive reach \u2013 both methods are essential to connect communities with decision-making processes.<\/p>\n<p>At a more latent level, these differing types are often integrated in an engagement process that works within an engagement framework. Governments and organizations utilise engagement frameworks, or models, that use traditional and digital engagement within formal engagement processes. (This is different to citizen participation that utilises informal processes to voice opinions about policies.) Formal or \u2018state-sanctioned\u2019 participation initiatives invite the public to engage beyond voting \u2013 such as citizen\u2019s assemblies, citizen juries or participatory budgets. Although partaking in the same goal \u2013 improving public services and projects \u2013 these differ from the types of activities created by citizens, residents and community members themselves through their shared identities and common interests. But, as we see when we ask, <a href=\"\/blog\/how-do-you-engage-communities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u2018how do you engage communities?\u2019<\/a>, formal initiatives don\u2019t preclude communities actively shaping processes and outcomes of public decisions in the improvement of provision of services for their community.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Explore the Community Engagement 101 Series:<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/what-is-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What is Community Engagement<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/why-is-community-engagement-important\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why is Community Engagement Important<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/benefits-of-online-community-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benefits of Online Community Engagement<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/blog\/how-do-you-engage-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How do you Engage Communities Online<\/a><\/p>\n","button":""}}]}},"post_slider_clone":{"posts_slider_group":{"show_section":true,"posts_slider":[{"add_anchor":false,"anchor_name":"","background_color":"green","slider_subhead":"","slider_headline":"Discover More Blogs","slider_text":"","slider_type":"blog_posts","manual_resources":false,"slider_resource_tax":"recent","add_additional_filters":false,"department_filter":false,"market_filter":false,"outcome_filter":false,"product_filter":false,"region_filter":false,"solution_filter":false,"topic_filter":false,"slider_link":{"title":"View All Resources","url":"\/uk\/learning-center\/","target":""},"slider_link_icon":false}]}},"call_to_action":{"hide_call_to_action":false,"color":"red","custom_cta":false,"custom_subhead":"","custom_headline":"","custom_description":"","custom_link":null,"custom_image":false}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_posts\/40824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog_posts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_market","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_market?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_dept","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_dept?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_type?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_region?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_outcomes","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_outcomes?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_topic?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_products","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_products?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_solutions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_solutions?post=40824"},{"taxonomy":"resource_tax_services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/granicus.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_tax_services?post=40824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}