Inclusive Processes and Engagement

Programs and processes designed to involve stakeholders in governance, community projects, and decision-making. There is an intentional focus on including underrepresented voices to ensure that decisions reflect diverse viewpoints, perspectives, and values. Programs might include facilitating conversations about difficult issues, including immigration, gentrification, historic inequities, addressing concerns about policing, or race relations. These engagement processes might be included in other programs.

Example program topics: racial equity and addressing racism and inequality; bridging the urban-rural divide; building understanding across generations; cultural traditions; diversity in Extension/cultural competence/inclusive organizations; recruiting and retaining talent

Renovate Your Mentoring Program: 14 conversation-starting tools to strengthen connections and impact

Topic: Human Capacity Building, Inclusive Processes and Engagement, Organizational Development, Workforce Development | Phase: Visioning & Planning, Implementing, Evaluating & Reflecting | Resource Use: , | Resource Format: Process Guide, Program, Tool, Worksheet

One of the most important things an organization can do is encourage its employees (or volunteers). Mentoring is a show of faith and an investment in people. But formal mentoring programs can be challenging. This nonformal mentoring approach is grounded in adult learning theory and nonformal teaching practice. It lets…

One Block at a Time

Topic: Community Planning, Resilience, and Sustainability, Inclusive Processes and Engagement, Natural Resources | Phase: Initiating & Scoping, Organizing, Assessing, Visioning & Planning, Implementing | Resource Use: , | Resource Format: Process Guide, Tool, Web-based Tool

One Block at Time addresses flooding through green infrastructure projects at the city block scale that center on equitable, community-driven engagement and planning. The toolkit is organized based on project phases of background assessment, community visioning, and implementation. The online resources include process agendas, education and visualization resources, outcomes, lessons…

Community Planning Approach to Green Infrastructure and Hazard Mitigation Toolkit

Topic: Community Planning, Resilience, and Sustainability, Inclusive Processes and Engagement, Natural Resources | Phase: Initiating & Scoping, Organizing, Assessing, Visioning & Planning, Implementing, Evaluating & Reflecting | Resource Use: , | Resource Format: Program

The program supports a collaborative community planning approach to evaluate the relevance and effectiveness of existing community policies and to identify goals, motivations, and barriers for hazard mitigation planning, focusing on water resources, flooding, and green infrastructure. The program includes: Discussions of local community resiliency; Reviewing existing plans and ordinances…

A Convenors Guide to Hosting a Public Forum

Topic: Community Planning, Resilience, and Sustainability, Inclusive Processes and Engagement, Organizational Development | Phase: Initiating & Scoping | Resource Use: , | Resource Format: Process Guide

This publication will assist an agent with details of how to organize a host committee and design a public forum.

Community Assessment Focus Group Guide

Topic: Community Planning, Resilience, and Sustainability, Inclusive Processes and Engagement | Phase: Assessing | Resource Use: , | Resource Format: Process Guide

The Extension Community Assessment Focus Group Facilitation Guide is a tool for facilitating listening sessions with community members. Involving community members in a focus group is an effective way to engage people in discussion and the identification of community issues. This document provides guidance to Extension Agents to facilitate a…