This course will take place online via Zoom from 9:00 am–4:00 pm. There will be fun pre-work assignments required for this class.

 In working with the public, do you ever wonder how to move from mere participation to genuine engagement?

 If you are a local government professional or elected leader who seeks to better understand your community’s needs, concerns, and priorities, this class is for you. 

 As a government organization, public participation is an often-mandated prerequisite for certain decisions.  Within this context, it can feel like an activity which we do simply to check a box. When public participation processes fall short, we get an incomplete picture of the community, often increasing distrust or lack of confidence in government.  In the long run, less-than-optimal public participation yields less-than-optimal outcomes.  

 When public participation follows a “with-and-through” engagement mindset, rather than a “to-and-for” input mindset, we see improved communication, increased levels of trust and support for the effort, and reduced potential for needless conflict.  

 How do we shift to a with-and-through mindset and transform one-way, one-time public participation processes into multi-way, on-going community engagement?  

 In this one-day course, we will experience a with-and-through participative process, harnessing the knowledge and insights of the group.  Discussions will include: what makes a with-and-through participative process different; implications of adopting this type of approach; and imagining where, when, and how this mindset might benefit our respective communities.  

 Come prepared to engage - this will be fun and interactive as we learn with-and-through each other!

Meet Your Instructors

This course will be taught by Christy Shi Day and Terry Willie-Surratt