“There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful

for others.” This is as true as it can get. Making life beautiful for others is a

real act of selflessness and compassion. A person who has a great outer appearance
cannot be considered truly a beautiful person, but the real beauty lies in having a great
heart and a helping attitude towards the other people.

Engagement is not generally driven by a 'model' so much as by a framework of guiding

principles, strategies, and approaches. This framework is based on principle of the respect to the
right of all community members to be informed, consulted, involved and empowered . Community
engagement employs and range of tools and strategies to ensure success. It also places a
premium on fostering and enhancing trust as a critical element in long-term, sustainable
engagement and effective governance.

On the other hand, the word 'community' is also a broad term used to define groups of people,
whether they are stakeholders, interest groups, or citizen groups. A community may be a
geographic location (community of place), a community of similar interest (community of
practice), or a community of affiliation or identity such as industry or sporting club.

Simply put, community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through
groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to
address issues affecting the well-being of those people It is a powerful vehicle for bringing about
environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its
members It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence
systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies,
programs, and practices (CDC, 1997).

'Community engagement' is therefore a strategic process with the specific purpose of working
with identified groups of people, whether they are connected by geographic location, special
interest, or affiliation to identify and address issues affecting their well-being.
The linking of the term 'community' to 'engagement' serves to broaden the scope, shifting the
focus from the individual to the collective, with the associated implications for inclusiveness to
ensure consideration is made of the diversity that exists within any community.

In practice, community engagement is a blend of science and art. The science comes from
sociology, public policy, political science, cultural anthropology, organizational development,
psychology, social- psychology and other disciplines. It also comes from organizing concepts
drawn from the literature on community participation, community development, constituency
building, and community psychology. The art comes from the understanding, skill, and sensitivity
used to apply and adapt the science in ways that fit the community and the purposes of specific
engagement efforts. The results of these efforts may be defined differently and can encompass a
broad range of structures (e.g., coalitions, partnerships, collaborations), but they all fall under
the general rubric of community engagement and are treated similarly in this in our discussions
(Adapted from ATSDR, 2011).

Community engagement can be complex and labor-intensive and require dedicated resources
such as time, funding, and people with the necessary skills. Citizens and leaders in communities
across the United States, and indeed in many parts of the world, are struggling to make the right
choices for the communities and issues they address. Building and implementing effective
strategies requires a solid grounding in the best tools, techniques, and information available.
 FOUR PILLARS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Performance. The Community Engagement Framework includes an evaluation

component to establish and document the effectiveness of engagement activities.
• Practice. Increased DORSU community engagement based on consistent practices will
improve the relationship between community and the school. Proactive and effective
stakeholder engagement may also prevent issues that need to be managed by school
constituents.
• People. Employee development is an integral part of the Community Engagement
Framework. The Community Engagement team develops and delivers ongoing learning
opportunities to increase employees’ ability to plan, implement and evaluate engagement
processes.
• Policy. The Community Engagement Policy supports the implementation of this
Framework across all areas of the academe.

Community Engagement shall be based on the following foundations:

1. Values-Based. Community stakeholders form opinions, concerns, fears, hopes and dreams
based on their values. Effective community engagement acknowledges that all
stakeholders bring their values to the process and is designed to shift discussions away
from people’s positions, towards their shared values.
2. Goal-Driven. Community engagement should be focused around specific, planned and
purposeful outcomes. Effective community engagement will clearly outline what
information is needed, how stakeholders may participate in the process and follow up
with participants when the project goals have been reached.
3. Decision-oriented. Community stakeholders participate in engagement activities because
they believe that their opinions will help shape the decision being made. Effective
community engagement clearly states what decision is being made, and how stakeholder
participation has shaped the decision.
 TYPES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Community Engagement Models

The following community engagement models are supported by the Office of Community
Engagement through community-engaged learning courses, student employment, or volunteer
opportunities for groups or individuals.

A. Community Building
Projects that intentionally bring people together to simply get to know one another.
Examples include the Morris Community Meal.

B. Community Education
Projects that provide instructional services or curricula, or serve to educate the public
about a social issue (in a non-partisan way). Examples include the TREC program,
Community ESL classes, and Gather in the Park.

C. Community Organizing
Projects that bring people together with the goal of solving a community issue. Please
note that OCE cannot work on partisan issues, but can contribute to creating solutions
for non-partisan, local issues. An example is assistance in establishing the Latino Parent
Advisory Board for the local school.

D. Deliberative Dialogue
Projects that intentionally bring people together to build understanding across
differences.

E. Direct Service
Projects that provide a service or product to an individual, group, or the community as a
whole. Examples include filling a volunteer shift at a local organization, creating social
media tools for an organization, or creating a community mural.
 F. Economic Development
Projects that work on developing the regional economy in a sustainable way. Note that
OCE does not partner with for-profit entities except when doing so would benefit the
community as a whole and not the for-profit only organization. Examples include
feasibility studies for new businesses and projects that attract people to small town
business districts.
G. Engaged Research
Research that directly benefits the community by clarifying the causes of a community
challenge, mapping a community's assets, or contributing to solutions to current
challenges and also fits a faculty member's research agenda. In the best case scenario,
faculty with research expertise work alongside community members and students on
such projects. An example would be the MIEI community needing assessment.

H. Institutional Engagement
University resources intentionally offered without undue barriers to the community. In
the Davao Oriental State University (DORSU), the Office for Student Volunteerism and
Community Engagement (OSVCE) plays a role in envisioning institutional engagement
efforts. Examples include making campus events accessible, supporting student-
enhancement programs, choosing to use local and sustainable businesses to supply
services or goods, initiating donation drives and outreach programs, among others.

THE GOALS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

There are three primary goals for community

engagement:

• Partnering with the community to improve health

through solutions that address social, cultural and
biological determinants.
• Developing a comprehensive and diverse health
care workforce to serve the community
• Creating innovative health care delivery models
that maintain financial stability while serving all
members of our community
 PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Community engagement is grounded theinprinciples of community organization:

fairness, justice, empowerment, participation, and
-determination
self .

Why Practice Community Engagement?

Advocates of community engagement assert that it improves health promotion and health
research. However, the processes, costs, and benefits of community engagement are still a
relatively new field of study. In 2004, AHRQ brought attention to the importance of empirical
work in this area and greatly advanced our knowledge through a synthesis of the research, much
of which indicated that community engagement strengthened the conduct of research
(Viswanathan et al., 2004).
A recent review of the literature on community engagement identified nine areas in which
community engagement made a positive impact (Staley, 2009). Although this study focused on
research partnerships, many of its findings are relevant to community engagement in general.
The nine areas and the corresponding benefits were as follows:
1. Agenda—Engagement changes the choice and focus of projects, how they are initiated,
and their potential to obtain funding. New areas for collaboration are identified, and
funding that requires community engagement becomes accessible.
2. Design and delivery—Improvements to study design, tools, interventions,
representation/participation, data collection and analysis, communication, and
dissemination can be implemented. New interventions or previously unappreciated causal
links can be identified through the community’s knowledge of local circumstances. The
speed and efficiency of the project can be enhanced by rapidly engaging partners and
participants and identifying new sources of information.
3. Implementation and change—Improvements can be made in the way research findings
are used to bring about change (e.g, through new or improved services, policy or funding
changes, or transformation of professional practices), and capacity for change and the
maintenance of long-term partnerships can be expanded.
4. Ethics—Engagement creates opportunities to improve the consent process, identify
ethical pitfalls, and create processes for resolving ethical problems when they arise.
5. The public involved in the project—The knowledge and skills of the public involved in the
project can be enhanced, and their contributions can be recognized (possibly through
financial rewards). These efforts foster goodwill and help lay the groundwork for
subsequent collaborations.
6. Academic partners—Academic partners can gain enhanced understanding of the issue
under study and appreciation of the role and value of community involvement, which
sometimes result in direct career benefits. In addition, new insights into the relevance of
 a project and the various benefits to be gained from it can result in increased
opportunities to disseminate its findings and their wider use.
7. Individual research participants—Improvements in the way studies are carried out can
make it easier to participate in them and bring benefits to participants.
8. Community organizations—These organizations can gain enhanced knowledge, a higher
profile in the community, more linkages with other community members and entities, and
new organizational capacity. These benefits can create goodwill and help lay the
groundwork for subsequent collaborations.
9. The general public—The general public is likely to be more receptive to the research and
reap greater benefits from it.

To achieve successful collaboration with a community, all parties involved need to strive to
understand the point of view of “insiders,” whether they are members of a neighborhood,
religious institution, health practice, community organization, or public health agency. Key to
developing such understanding is recognizing one’s own culture and how it shapes one’s beliefs
and understanding of health and illness (Airhihenbuwa, 2007; Hahn, 1999; Harrell et al., 2006;
Kleinman, 1980; Minkler, 2004). For example, community-engaged programs and research often
involve people from universities or health institutions working with community groups in areas
labeled “low income” or “at risk.” Acknowledging diversity in background, experience, culture,
income, and education and examining how society produces privilege, racism, and inequalities in
power should be central to the process of community engagement. Such an approach can help
partners better understand and address the roots of health issues and guard against reproducing
repressive patterns within their partnerships (Chávez et al., 2008; Chavez et al., 2007; Jones et al.,
2000; Krieger et al., 1999; Yonas et al., 2006).

The following are the principles built on by Guelph City Council in 1998. They have been updated
to reflect emerging community engagement practices. Community engagement at the NSTP
embraces these principles:

1. Inclusive: The NSTP designs engagement processes that allow all community members a
reasonable opportunity to contribute and to develop a balanced perspective. The NSTP
builds relationships with stakeholders by using a range of activities to engage diverse
participants.
 2. Early Involvement: The NSTP involves community as early as possible in the engagement
process so stakeholders have time to learn about the issue and actively participate.
3. Access to Decision Making: The NSTP designs processes that will give participants the
opportunity to influence decisions.
4. Coordinated Approach: The NSTP coordinates community engagement activities to use
community and NSTP resources effectively.
5. Transparent and Accountable: The NSTP designs engagement processes so that
stakeholders understand their role, the level of engagement and the outcome of the
process.
6. Open and Timely Communication: The NSTP provides information that is timely, accurate,
objective, easily understood, accessible, and balanced.
7. Mutual Trust and Respect: The NSTP engages community in an equitable and respectful
way that fosters understanding between diverse views, values, and interests.
8. Evaluation and Continuous Improvement: The NSTP evaluates engagement activities to
[
ensure engagement processes are effective.

References
Principles of Community Engagement: First Edition. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
CDC/ATSDR Committee on Community Engagement, 1997.

Principles of Community Engagement: Second Edition. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR), 2011.