Definition Of Community Engagement

There is no widely accepted definition of community engagement and the meaning can vary in different contexts.

Definition of community engagement. Community engagement is based on the democratic idea that everyone who is affected by an issue that impacts their community should have a say in the decision making around it. Community engagement also referred to as civic engagement is the collaboration among institutions of higher education and their larger communities local regional state national global for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. Community engagement can take many forms and partners can include organized groups agencies institutions or individuals. The following are some definitions of community engagement mainly in the context vertical community engagement particularly in relation to planning and decision making.

The community development team on the other hand thought of community engagement as the process of getting people better connected into the community and for ensuring that the services they were designing met the specific needs of the people they were working with. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity special interest or similar situations to address issues affecting the well being of those people it is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members it often involves. Original definitions modified from incorporating community engagement language into promotion and tenure policies. 2016 discuss community engagement as a key strategy for improving outcomes for.

Collaborators may be engaged in health promotion research or policy making. There is no commonly agreed definition of community engagement butteriss 2014. O mara eves et al 2013. Pelco and catherine howard 2015 community a group of people connected to the campus who may be affiliated by geographic proximity special interest similar situation or shared values.

Community engagement is a community centered orientation based in dialogue. One university s journey lynn e. It moreover holds the promise that public participation can influence decisions that affect the provision of services future visions and sustainability of our communities. Stuart 2011 and the term is often used interchangeably with a number of other concepts such as consultation participation collaboration and empowerment all of which are related to community engagement but do not capture all aspects of the concept.