COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Participation and Empowerment Dr Muhammad Abi

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (Participation and Empowerment) Dr Muhammad Abi Sofian Abdul Halim Master of Management (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) School of Business and Maritime Manaement, University Malaysia Terengganu

DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Community engagement refers to the process by which (1) community benefit organizations and (2) individuals build ongoing, (3) permanent relationships for the purpose of applying a collective vision for the benefit of a community.

Cont’d……. q Any process of working collaboratively through groups of people, affiliated by: (1) geographic proximity, (2) special interest, or (3) similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people. q Community engagement is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members. q 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)

Five Levels of Engagement

Goal Technique Inform Provide the public with balanced and objective information to assist them in understanding the opportunities, problems, alternatives and/or solutions. Keeping the public informed through information dissemination. One –way process that is starting point of dialogue. Effective information dissemination is vital, with honesty about nonnegotiable areas of influence. • Newsletters • Websites • exhibitions Consult Obtain public feedback on analysis, alternatives and/or Decisions. Consultation is a term recognized in law: must invite responses and consider them before making decision, although under no obligation to make changes. It is a structured episode, not a process: • Focus groups • Surveys • Public meetings Involve Work directly with the public throughout the process to ensure that public concerns and aspirations are consistently understood and considered Joint consideration of public responses with the community before decisions are taken, with feedback on how community has influenced decisions Fluid, ongoing process and face to face dialogue: • Workshops • Deliberative Polling Collaborate To partner with the public in each aspect of the decision including the development of alternatives and the identification of the preferred solution Look to the community for help in formulating solutions, incorporating recommendations into the decisions as far as is possible Face to face dialogue with community representatives and those effected. • Participatory decision-making Empower Place final decision-making in the hands of the public Requires investment in time and resources and community capacity building

Community Engagement Undertaken by Government 1. Informing the community of policy directions of the government. 2. Consulting the community as part of a process to develop government policy, or build community awareness and understanding. 3. Involving the community through a range of mechanisms to ensure that issues and concerns are understood and considered as part of the decision-making process. 4. Collaborating with the community by developing partnerships to formulate options and provide recommendations. 5. Empowering the community to make decisions and to implement and manage change.

Citizen participation may be defined as a process in which ordinary people take part - whether on a (1) voluntary or (2) obligatory basis - whether acting alone or as part of a group ………. . with the goal of influencing a decision involving significant choices that will affect their community.

Concept of Citizen Participation 1. The terms "citizen" and "public, " and "involvement" and "participation" are often used interchangeably. 2. The roots of citizen participation can be traced to ancient Greece and Colonial New England. 3. Basically, citizen participation is a process which provides private individuals an opportunity to influence public decisions and has long been a component of the democratic decision-making process. 4. It’s also can be loosely defined as the involvement of people in a community in projects to solve their problems.

cont’d…. . 5. People cannot be force to participate in projects which affect their lives but should given the opportunities where possible. 6. However, many citizen participation programs are initiated in response to public reaction to a proposed project or action. 7. Community participation is especially important in emergency sanitation programs where people may be unaccustomed to their surroundings and new sanitation facilities. 8. This is held to be a basic human right and a fundamental principle of democracy.

Five Benefits of Citizen Participation 1. 2. 3. 4. Information and ideas on public issues; Public Support for planning decisions; Avoidance of protracted conflicts and costly delays; Reservoir of good will which can carry over to future decisions; and 5. Spirit of cooperation and trust between the agency and the public.

Activities in Community Participation 1. Need assessment – Expressing opinions about desirable improvements, goals, etc. 2. Planning – Formulating objectives, setting goals. 3. Mobilizing – Raising awareness in a community about needs 4. Training – Participation in formal and informal training. 5. Implementing – Community engaging in management activities 6. Monitoring and evaluation – Participating in the appraisal of work done

Incentives of Communities Engagement 1. Communities participation motivate people to work together. 2. People feel a sense of community and recognize the benefits of their involvement. 3. Social, religious and traditional obligations for mutual help. 4. Genuine community participation – people see a genuine opportunities to better their own lives and the community as the whole. 5. Remuneration in cash or kind.

Stakeholder Analysis • Stakeholders may include different people from within the affected population , as well as local authorities and agencies. • Stakeholders are divided into; i. Primary stakeholders – from within the affected communities. ii. Secondary stakeholders – local authorities, agencies, etc. iii. External – other interest parties.

Participatory Appraisal Techniques • Participatory Appraisal Techniques (PRA) and Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) are social research techniques used in the field when resources and time often limited. RRA is a method used by outsiders to acquire information about a community quickly. It can be use by implementing agency in assessment activities. PRA is aimed at strengthening the analyzing and decision making power of the affected community. It can be used in programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Four PRA activities, there are; 1. Mapping 2. Ranking 3. Diagraming 4. Discussions

Thank You