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Community Engagement Newsletter Community Engagement Newsletter Showcasing efforts to build collaborative relationships Newsletter 89 November April 2 0062005 Successful engagement –moving beyond Community Engagement Training consultation and polarised debates – the deliberative democracy approach. By Frankie MacLennan, DSE Community Engagement for Planners 10th & 11th May The challenge is out. The government’s social policy statement A Fairer Contact: Jodi Sneddon 9296 4742 Victoria aims to “involve communities in decisions affecting their lives.” This will mean finding ways to include more than the usual interest and Intermediate Community Engagement lobby groups we usually engage with. It will mean creating opportunities Course for apathetic people, unemployed people and time-poor people, as well rd th as the well-known “diversity” groups. 3 & 4 May Contact: Laura Window 9380 7777 Put on your citizen’s hat and ask yourself, how well has government or Martin Butcher 5226 4079 sought your views on a community issue of importance to you? How well has government created the opportunity for you to truly deliberate with North-East Community Engagement people of differing views? By deliberate, I mean really listen and be Foundations Course listened to and truly understand another’s viewpoint and have your own 27th & 28th April 2006 opinion truly understood. Contact: Tricia Hazeleger 02 6043 7943 As agents of government, how can we improve the participation of a ____________ broader range of citizens? How does government engage “beyond the usual suspects” in a meaningful way? Community Engagement Some of us have had the fortune to hear Janette Hartz-Karp who has Community of Practice been consulting to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure in Western Australia. Her “deliberative democracy” approach has three Melbourne Central Community of critical criteria. Practice 20th April 2-4pm • It must be truly inclusive. For this reason she thinks that Advisory Level 15, 1 Spring St, DVC groups are no longer appropriate. Advisory groups need to play to Contact Martin Butcher: 03 5226 4079 the role of Steering groups to ensure that the engagement process is inclusive. North West Community of Practice nd • Secondly, participants must deliberate. People need to talk, to listen, 2 May 1-3.30pm to find common ground and understand trade-offs, rather than Epsom, DSE seeking to win at someone else’s expense. Contact: Selina Handley: 03 5482 0457 • Lastly, participants must have the capacity to influence the decision- making. In WA, the Minister undertook to implement whatever was decided in the deliberative processes. In a sustainability context, government needs to engage those who do not have a short term vested interest in an outcome. Lobbyists are seeking to impose their own pre-determined solutions on others. By seeking the views of the broader population, the old problems may be solved in a different and better way. The problem or issue may even be re-defined when others are part of the deliberation. This issue of the CE Newsletter seeks to explore what successful engagement is, and highlights the learnings of various contributors. You can read more about Janette’s work at www.21stcenturydialogue.com Inside this issue: Successful Engagement– 1 ı Community Engagement Training – 1 ı l –CE Tools: Visioning for a better future - 2 ı An action learning pilot project - 3 ı The role of the facilitator – 4 ı Please introduce someone you know – 4 Newsletter 8 8 Tools for Engagement November April 2006 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TOOLS: Visioning for a better future THE PURPOSE The process of Visioning is for a group to develop a preferredKyli future scenario. Once a vision has been described by a group, they then have a common positive outcome that they can collectively plan and commit to achieve. TYPES OF VISIONING TECHNIQUES There needs to be a common vision before any planning process. It is only possible to plan to achieve something There are numerous creative visioning techniques, which positive, not a negative. Rather than thinking ‘there is a lot are used at the different scales mentioned above. of vandalism in the neighbourhood’ a positive vision might be; ‘happy and productive kids’. Guided Visualisation A facilitator reads out a framework that allows WHEN IS IT USED? individuals to imagine a day or scenario in the future and Small/medium scale to describe what they see. The role of the facilitator Visioning exercises can be used as one part of a small group being to emphasise that positive visions are being workshop or meeting through to guiding the direction of a sought, and is careful not to bring in their own personal project. Visioning exercises are usually carried out near the values or assumptions. beginning of these sessions or project. A range of techniques might be used for participants to answer Collage questions such as ‘what would a perfect team meeting look Magazine cut-outs and similar materials can be used to like? or ‘what impact would you like to see from our project inspire the basis of a vision. Visions can be collected in 5 years?’ from organic materials from the natural environment. Large scale Drawing and photography Alternatively, visioning techniques can serve as the focus of a long-term community process to develop an agreed Individuals and groups depict and describe their visions community vision, asking, for instance, ‘what would you like by drawing it or taking photos to see for our town in 2020’. Visions developed with Futures Tree communities should directly influence policy and may take Groups consider possible impacts of change through a few years to develop with a range of engagement activities. drawing a tree and its branches and describing the change, Examples of this include Melbourne 2030 and Local Council impact and consequences visions. Alphabet FEATURES Think of words which portray your vision from each letter ♦ Visions should always aim to elicit positive and of the alphabet. I.e. A for Altogether, B for beautiful preferred futures surroundings etc ♦ Visioning can collect a wide range of ideas through a brainstorming process Role Play Groups can depict their vision by acting out roles or ♦ Visions do not have to be based on hard facts or science scenario but can be about values, influences and assumptions ♦ Visions can be depicted in a variety of ways including THE BENEFITS… drawings, cartoons, acting and words. Visioning themes can remain broad and therefore inclusive of most people’s views and values VISIONING IN PRACTICE It can bring together people from diverse, minority and even conflicting groups (whilst being respectful Shire of Yarra Ranges – Vision 2020 of special, dietary, cultural and spiritual beliefs) Yarra Ranges has recently involved their community in a The process can uncover and affirm personal and review of their collective Shire Vision for 2020, which was group values and beliefs initially developed in 1999. The review* has highlighted the following learning; THE LIMITATIONS… ♦ having a long-term vision for the future is very important Visions can often be very personal and sensitive and ♦ the imperative to focus on the long-term sustainability of therefore the process needs to allow for this the environment, communities and continued growth of the local economy Participant resistance; where they can’t (or are ♦ individuals, households, groups and organisations want reluctant to) imagine a positive future to contribute to the planning for their future Visions can be long-term and frustrating to those ♦ People have appreciated having the opportunity to openly who are ‘now’ focused. have a say Futures Studies * Shire of Yarra Ranges: Our Community, Our Shire, Our Vision Community Engagement Outcomes Paper, February For more information consult the DSE Effective 2006 Engagement Kit or for interesting results try typing ‘Futures Studies’ in www.wikipedia.org 2 Newsletter 8 partnership profile April 2006 An Action Learning Approach to Overarching project management group. CEN evaluation pilot project managers, Strategic Evaluation Evaluating Community Engagement Manager (DSE), Evaluation Unit (DPI) representative Community engagement requires an investment of time and money, so it’s only reasonable for people to question Overarching evaluation project the value of any such investment. Therefore, it’s important to know what the impacts of our engagement Pilot activity 1 Pilot activity 2 Pilot activity 3 efforts have been - are we producing better outcomes as Learning set. Project staff & CEN coaches a result of engaging with the community? It’s also worth BUILT FIRE FIRE knowing if we’re applying appropriate community ENV’T engagement principles and practices, and the level of Ringwood IMFMP Dandenongs skill of our community engagement practitioners, as Transit City continuous improvement of practice is critical in a changing world. CEN Coach CEN Coach CEN Coach Jane Jodi Kylie McQueenie However, finding the answers to these types of questions Sneddon Scanlon + Anthony Hester is a challenge. The outputs/deliverables of community engagement activities often relate to changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Tangible, on-ground Each project team is being supported in designing and changes normally occur beyond the lifespan of the implementing evaluation plans to measure the impact of average project. So being able to develop confidence in their community engagement activities. The teams will the causal relationship between practice change and on- come together at regular intervals during the next few
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