Getting everyone involved

It is easy for community involvement activities to attract only certain individuals or groups, particularly those who have the confidence and power to be already prominent in the community. To genuinely involve the whole community, it is important to have flexible activities that will encourage people from a wide range of backgrounds, interests and abilities to be involved if they want to be.

Some things you can do to encourage participation across all sectors of the community include:

• Organise events and activities that are easy for different people to attend. For example, it is difficult for business operators and workers to attend activities during the day. Short evening events will make it easier.
• Recognise that different groups have various preferences for how they may want to be involved and how they communicate. For example, young people may have different preferences than seniors.
• Make sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are involved in a way that is culturally appropriate. It’s important to recognise that each community will have their own ‘protocols’ for engagement. Protocol simply means following the customs and lores of the people or community you are working with and communicating in a way that is relevant to them.
  If you are uncertain of local protocols, connecting with a local person who can introduce you and provide local background information will be a useful strategy. Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnership regional offices and Rural and Regional Communities Officers may be useful contacts in this way.
• Consider the way in which information is presented for people who may not have English as their first language, and how best they might participate in discussion
• Don’t assume that everyone is fully literate. Have ways in which people can have input other than filling out forms or commenting on written documents.

Extra resources

• The Queensland Department of Communities has published Engaging Queenslanders: Introduction to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
• Protocols for Consultation and Negotiation with Aboriginal People
• The Local Government Association of Queensland has a range of resources to help communities, and particularly local councils, to build relationships within their communities. These include Embracing Cultural Diversity: Action Guide for Queensland Local Governments and the Community Relations Manual: A Guide for Local Government.
• Keeping it Real: A Resource for Involving Young People is a useful publication from the New Zealand Ministry of Youth Development.
• The Art of Renewal: A Guide to Thinking Culturally About Strengthening Communities aims to assist people in strengthening their communities through arts and culture.
• The Gab Titui Cultural Centre is the result of a partnership between the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) and the Queensland Heritage Trails Network (QHTN). The Torres Strait people have played an integral role in establishing Gab Titui and through the Cultural Centre Steering Committee, comprised of community representatives, have guided the process from concept stage to completion.