Supporting Authentic Community EngagementCoaction Institute envisions communities served by organizations with the vision and tools needed to work collaboratively across disciplines on comprehensive strategies to improve community and population health. To this end, it was created to enhance health improvement efforts by building capacity in authentic community engagement at all levels. Just as there is a continuum of ways in which stakeholders work together, from networking to coordination to collaboration to partnership, there are also different levels of engagement to be considered when planning community engagement activities. Each level is linked to the potential influence sought in decision making and action and should be considered when planning community engagement activities.
The appropriate level of participation sought is informed by the level of impact anticipated. Determining what will be the level of impact of decisions in the community begins with identifying the key stakeholders and those potentially most impacted. The levels of engagement can go from simply engaging stakeholders to provide them information, to consulting with them to solicit input on decisions to be made by others, involving them in all aspects of the process other than decision making, collaborating with them on all activities and decisions and, ultimately, to support them in leading the process themselves and making their own decisions. What makes community engagement “inauthentic” is pretending to support and empower community-led decisions, when you are merely gathering input to inform your own. Coaction Institute’s efforts to support authentic community engagement include:
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