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 ground change is necessary. In addition, there are very months to discuss their progress and any issues that few indicators of effective community engagement have arisen since they last met. These meetings will allow practice. So how does anyone know where to start when the team to take time out to reflect on what they’ve done it comes to evaluating their community engagement? so far, to learn from one another and to provide peer review and support. This dilemma forms the rationale for a project that’s been initiated by the Community Engagement Network in Since the project began in late September 2005 each collaboration with DSE’s Strategic Evaluation Group, team has been working on their community engagement DPI’s Evaluation Unit and three project teams. The aim of plans and evaluation plans simultaneously. They’ve the project is to take an action learning approach to commented on the overlap between the two, and the fact discover more about how to evaluate community that the evaluation framework is useful in helping to engagement. clarify the project and engagement objectives.

Three project teams have volunteered to learn about At the end of the project, the project teams will have evaluating their community engagement activities by • Developed and implemented of a plan to evaluate getting in and doing it. A project management group has community engagement activities for their project. provided an overall evaluation framework and general guidance, and each team is also supported directly by a • Prepared an evaluation report that describes the CEN coach. project impacts and process improvements. • Prepared a learning report that describes new understanding about community engagement and Participating Projects evaluation amongst project team members.

Dandenong A project management group is taking a “helicopter” Ranges Fire view of the three pilot projects. This group will analyse Management Team Ringwood the evaluation approaches used by the three project teams with the aim of developing generic principles for Transit Cities Aims to involve Aims to revitalise community in next evaluating community engagement. The outputs of this parts of the fire operation overarching group will be to: activity area planning process. Team: ParksVic and • Develop a robust generic process including best Team: DSE & DSE practice for evaluating community engagement. Maroondah Shire • Establish a set of standards for effective engagement practice.

IMFMP Fire Team • Prepare an evaluation report that records the results of an analysis of the project impacts and process Aims to develop an improvements for each of the three pilot activities. integrated municipal • Prepare a learning report that describes new fire management knowledge about the most effective way to coach plan. project teams to evaluate community engagement Team: mainly CFA For further information about the community engagement evaluation project contact Heather Shaw (03) 5430 4527 or Tricia Hazeleger (02) 6043 7943.

3 Newsletter 8 April 2006 The role of a facilitator Kerry Murphy, Parks Victoria

Community development is essentially about a process rather than an outcome, about a journey rather than Building social networks the arrival and hence many of the most important Ross Colliver, The Training & Development Group (TTDG) practice principles focus on the idea of process”

(Jim Ife, Community Development – Community Based “Please introduce someone you know – and tell us how Alternatives in an Age of Globalisation, 2002) you first met them.” This question was asked during a series of day-long workshops I ran recently on priorities As community engagement becomes more mainstream for natural resource management (NRM). During the in our day to day activities, a danger exists of focusing workshops I invited participants to hand the ball to only on the outcome and forgetting the importance of a someone else in the group who they know, and to tell us process with integrity and the myriad milestones we how they know that person. achieve along the way. Bob started a nursery 15 years ago, and first met Geoff, a I was reminded of this most recently through my work dairy farmer, when Geoff placed a big order of trees and as a facilitator in statewide fire recovery. In visiting shrubs for his Landcare group, helping Bob at a point with local staff, who are clearly so immersed in their when his nursery was struggling to pay its way. Geoff recovery work that they don’t have much time spare to tells us why he is here, and then introduces Sue, who he see the forest for the trees (well the burnt stumps), it is met in a Target 10 dairy productivity group 10 years ago. so easy for a facilitator to get in there and try to “fix Sue introduces us to Doug, a timber miller, with whom things up” for them. The risk-averse climate of a she locked horns in a ministerial working group on agro- government organisation only further feeds the “fix it forestry. But she knew him before this, because his urge”. brother was a friend of her auntie.

The “fix it ” urge often comes at a price. Staff are Gradually, the web of connections are revealed. We feel already under enormous pressure and while fixing it the longevity in these relationships, and the shared may seem helpful, you must carefully consider the commitment to living better in the landscape. We’re consequence of your actions. Will it affect their about to debate priorities for this part of the region, and confidence to engage in the future? Will it jeopardise we’ll disagree as much as we agree, but we now also their existing local relationships and networks? How sense that we’re in this together. well will they “own” the process and continue it into the future? The introduction reveals the social networks between people. Social networks are strange beasts: they’re based Regardless of whether you are working directly with on self-interest – I want to access your knowledge and the community or guiding staffs to work with the resources – and on interdependence – if I help you, public, the fundamental value common to facilitators it there’s a fair chance you’ll help me when I need it. Social to facilitate; guide, coach, support and provide an networks underpin the more explicit, purpose-built environment where things can happen. In this busy relationships at the interface between government, time be careful to not forget the integrity of your industry and community. process by focussing only on the outcome. Take a breath and enjoy the journey…you may get their If they are important, why not measure the strength of sooner than you think. social networks, and monitor how programs affect them? It’s a bit like river health – a functioning river ecosystem delivers clean water and supports species biodiversity, so Signage post fire at Sundial we measure it and seek to improve it. Social networks Carpark, Courtesy of Parks enable good decision making and effective action - why Victoria not measure their health?

Strength of social networks is one of five indicators of social capacity being pursued by the Community Strategies Project, a NAP Multi-Region Project developing ways to set and measure targets for the social asset in NRM. A trial of the measures is underway now.

To find out more, contact the Project consultant, Grass Tree, Courtesy of Ross Colliver at [email protected] or Adam Magennis Polly Hall, Project Manager, at [email protected]

DSE Community Engagement Contacts

Statewide Project Leader: Frankie MacLennan 5183 9130 Gippsland: Mike Timpano 5172 2122 South-west region: Lyneve Whiting 5561 9931 North-east region: Tricia Hazeleger 02 6043 7943 North-west region: Heather Shaw 5430 4527 Port Phillip region: Jodi Sneddon 9296 4742

For any contributions or feedback on this Newsletter, contact Kate Henderson: [email protected] / 03 9296 4552