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


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…


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…


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


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…