Public and community engagement, involvement and participation is what we are doing as consultants. It is also what we help others do most effectively. We work with teams, companies and agencies on reaching consensus through public participation and collaboration. We usually find ourselves bridging divides by creating spaces where people are willing to participate to build solutions. Community engagement builds consensus. And below you have some of the best of the news and tips that we have found about how to engage communities. Or what happens when you do not. The latest news handpicked by our public sector consultants, all wrapped up with a sometimes snarky – yet always informed – perspective. Enjoy!
The death of George Floyd launched a rocket under the seven-year-old Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and nothing suggests it will fade from public consciousness anytime soon. But at some point we’ll need to decide what happens beyond just the protests. More than a year ago, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County ...
read more →
Our managing pardner Debra Duerr has some personal thoughts on the role of a citizen.
Those of us in the public participation business will always remember the citizen activist we met
on every project – the person with boundless energy who resisted, shouted, provoked, forced a different way of thinking, ...
read more →
Given the still rising number of new COVID-19 cases in most of the U.S., it’s pretty obvious that we’re going to be in quarantine mode for the foreseeable future, which means that most face-to-face public events will still be held virtually for a while. We’ve used various checklists for real ...
read more →
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington says wearing face masks reduces transmission of the COVID virus by as much as 50%. There’s really no debate about that by anyone credible. So, as infections are now doubling in some recently reopened states, one might ...
read more →
Lord Acton is known to have said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” David Brin later said, “… it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible.” The genesis of public engagement is based on people’s right to some influence on the decisions that have an effect on ...
read more →
As the following story says, just when we most need to connect to people on an interpersonal basis, that’s the last thing we can safely do. Here are some ideas about staying humanly connected while still staying as safe as possible. Read More …...
read more →
I struggled with how to start this newsletter but I’ve been thinking about Allen Saunders’ quote (often attributed to John Lennon): “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Prescient, considering Lennon’s murder and appropriate now with COVID-19, our new Pearl Harbor or 911. I guess ...
read more →
I’m sure that my first grade teacher, Sister Mary Mercy, wouldn’t happy if she caught me saying this but let’s face it, some people are just jerks. Look, I’m a committed believer and practitioner of respecting people’s opinions and treating others with civility, regardless ...
read more →
Public participation, when done effectively and authentically, actively engages people in the conversation or issue that you’re trying to resolve. The Core Values established by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) does a good job of defining what that really means and differentiates public involvement from traditional public relations. ...
read more →
Most conversations about controversial issues are waged as if whoever gets the most words in is declared the winner. And, really, how many conversations aren’t controversial these days. This story resonates because it supports a lot of things that we’ve said in past newsletters. Check it out. Read More …...
read more →
