2. Co-create standards for engagement practices with communities.

What is this intervention all about…

It is important for those who have power to work with community members, to listen with the intent of learning from us where the gaps and barriers are. Treat us like we matter, work with us to create solutions to the problems, don't dictate to us what you think you know is best. We are individually experts in our own lives and in community we take care of each other, we share the hurt, the frustrations and we talk to each other to solve the problems. Work with us in the same way - together, not as adversaries.

- Maridena Rojas, Community Engagement Manager at The Boston Project Ministries, PCGN Core Team Member

  • Co-create community inclusion plans

    Facilitate workshops in communities to understand best practices for inclusive engagement, specific to demographic, cultural, and social context of the community. Allow the final plan to inform all engagement within that community and serve to hold the Agency and developers accountable for inclusive practices.

    See example

  • Adopt customer service-like practices

    Train community-facing staff in effective customer services practices. Such practices should prioritize listening well, showing empathy and concern, a commitment to providing or finding answers.

  • Disseminate community-informed educational materials

    Work with communities to understand gaps in understanding as it relates to development and the BPDA. Develop educational materials to fill the identified gaps, iterating with residents to ensure quality and accessibility. Be sure that all materials are in plain language, utilize more graphics and fewer words, and are translated into many languages to maximize accessibility.

    See example

  • Prioritize language inclusivity in all interactions and communications

    Use plain speech in written and verbal communications, avoiding jargon and acronyms. Provide language translation and interpretation as appropriate for community.

  • Always seek to lower barriers to engagement

    Consider real and potential barriers for engagement in any given community. Make every efforts to work with community groups/orgs to remove barriers. This may include providing both in-person and virtual meetings, conducting door-to-door outreach, providing childcare for meetings, etc.

  • Provide workshops for developers

    While there are limitations to what BPDA can require of developers, there is still opportunity to help developers understand best practices for engaging with communities. Developers and communities alike suffer when interactions are unnecessarily contentious. BPDA could work with developers who are well-respected in communities to develop workshops on best-practices for community engagement and also for promoting equity in development.