Celebration, transition and handover

Community celebrations

Community celebrations can mark the end of a stage of a particular engagement process or be planned as a technique to enable diverse community engagement (refer also Information-sharing techniques). Celebrations can create a sense of fun around community issues and provide public acknowledgement of collaborative efforts within the community.

Celebrations have the ability to create a sense of community pride and identity and provide an avenue for a number of purposes such as information/awareness raising, active participation and consultation.

When planning a community celebration, consideration needs to be given to the purpose of the event, the budget, who will coordinate the event, and who will be invited to participate. The process for coordination can follow the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW and WHY format.

Strengths:

• can be multipurpose in its design, including showcasing of projects, informing residents and others of what is going on in the community; it can have an active participation and consultative component
• can create a sense of energy and community in the preparatory phase of an engagement process and build momentum to support the implementation phases
• has the capacity to further inform planning for change within the community
• diverse groups of people from the community can be involved such as children, families, government and non-government agencies and industry and
• demonstrates respect for the community.

Weaknesses:

• requires intensive planning
• budget considerations are a priority
• requires skilled coordination
• requires significant collaboration from a number of agencies and stakeholders and
• media and publicity can be a significant issue.

References and websites:

• Citizen Science Toolbox, Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management www.griffith.edu.au
• Queensland Health (2002) Methods Manual. Engaging Communities in Participatory Action Research. Southport: Public Health Services.
• Vichealth and RMIT (2004) Community Celebrations Project (project in partnership with Vichealth) www.rmit.edu.au

Transition and handover

Community engagement can be seen as a cyclic process moving through different stages until the agency ultimately winds down or ceases initiated engagement (though engagement may increase again in the future). These lifecycle phases and the accompanying activities are shown on the following page.

Whilst some community engagement processes may go on for a long time, other engagement projects are of fi nite duration. To 'disengage' from communities, particularly those which have been more actively involved in your engagement process, requires careful thought and planning.

Community engagement often includes the concept of empowerment. If an agency exits from an engagement before the community has the capacity to sustain progress made through the engagement, then all the good work previously undertaken may be wasted. It may be necessary to have a transitional phase, where agencies provide skilling or resourcing (facilitation, planning and coordination etc.) until the community has the capacity to run or sustain their own processes.In planning your community engagement, consider any transition and exit strategies that might be appropriate. Make sure they are consistent with the cyclic nature of engagement.

References and websites:

• Doing what we know we should: The final report of the Goodna Service Integration Project (2003) www.uq.edu.au/boilerhouse

Lifecycle phases of community engagement

Stage 1 - Building potential

• A cluster of people face similar situations without the benefit of a shared practice.
• Finding each other, discovering commonalities.

Stage 2 - Engaging

• Members come together and recognise their potential.
• Finding each other, discovering commonalities.

Stage 3 - Acting

• Members engage in developing the group, working together and engaging others.
• Engaging in joint activities, planning and doing, creating artifacts, adapting to changing circumstances, renewing interest, committment and relationships.

Stage 4 - Transitioning & disengaging

• Members no longer engage as intensely but the group is still alive as a force and centre of knowledge.
• Plans made regarding staying in touch, communicating, holding reunions, calling for advice.

Stage 5 - Remembering

• A cluster of people face similar situations with the benefit of a shared practice.
• Telling stories, preserving artifacts, collecting memorabilia.