Practical Tools for Community Engagement

The emphasis on involving people in decision-making has never been greater. But how do we create opportunities for participation which empower individuals and communities? How do we enable people to engage in ways that lead to sustainable change?

This workshop considers the principles of participation and presents a range of lively and accessible ways to involve and empower people. It is delivered in a participatory way that will get you talking, laughing and actively learning.

This course is suitable for anyone who wants to engage community members or people who use services in decision-making.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this one-day workshop you will:

• Understand the principles of effective participation
• Know how to create engagement opportunities that promote empowerment
• Have tried out a variety of participatory tools for information gathering, prioritising, action planning and evaluation
• Understand the importance of excellent facilitation skills to community engagement work
• Know how to ask questions that promote change
• Have considered the diversity within and between communities and thought about ways to make participation inclusive

What people said about this course

“(We learnt…) that consultation and engagement are a tool to help achieve not an obstacle”

“The tools made me think – you got us to put the ideas into practice”

“Even the theory and history was good”

We loved:

“the tools – very logical, very simple .: very effective”

“speed of delivery and concise content”

“trainers brilliant – very enthusiastic”

“how would you like it to be” questions – liked the positive spin on questions – will definitely be using this in the public surveys we carry out”