 community engagement community engagement goodpushadmin fri 1042019 1637 why do community engagement  having regular interaction with the community you re working in is essential for building up your project s reach quality and reputation community engagement includes outreach events meetings and partnerships it offers the chance to assess community needs let people know about the programs you offer and build local support for your skateboardingbased activities quality  include the community in defining goals and regularly check that your project activities are making the change you hope for reach  find out if the people you want to reach are interested and able to join your activities reputation  build up a positive image of skateboarding and gain trust in the community this is especially important in communities where skateboarding is a new activity who s your community  highquality programs for youth require people from various parts of the community and from diverse organizations to work together but your community is never just the skaters that you are working with as your activities grow over time the support and input of many others will be needed to set up activities that are valued and impactful examples of community members can include participants ie youth skaters families of participants community leaders ie religious leaders local skateboarders skate shops nonprofits and schools working with the same communities current potential partners officials and ministries security services ie police local businesses  methods of engagement here s a list of some community engagement approaches you can use outreach at skate spots skate shops youth centres canvassing walking around a community with flyers home visits and letters to connect with families phone calls and meetings with families or partners tours visits of your program for families community leaders officials can also do video tours or live streams events skate demos contests art shows by participants info booth or speech at external events local press coverage social media some of these might seem old school but facetoface contact builds trust and relationships more effectively than other types of contact use the tools that feel natural for your community needs assessments imagine you re planning to start a new skate project how do you decide where to do it what time to run activities how to set it up in a way to reach the participants you have in mind this is where needs assessments come in handy if you take a bit of extra time to ask questions and plan in advance you can avoid a lot of headaches and extra work later on why do a needs assessment  to decide which communities to work with ie which ages which neighbourhoods to find locations to work in ie land for own skatepark schools public parks community centres other nonprofits to find key stakeholders that will help you do your work ie local skaters officials schools to learn about potential risks and security issues ie areas where girls feel unsafe to learn about helpful strengths of the community ie organizing events wordofmouth to ensure you aren t doubling up on the efforts of other nonprofits in the area to meet donor requirements to shape the programs you offer does it need to be walking distance or have transport provided what other recreational opportunities are available are kids interested in skateboarding are there any potential cultural or logistical barriers to take into account  when to do a needs assessment  before starting a new project location or activity anytime midproject to find out how well your program s working getting support for a skateboarding program even before you start your program it s important to clearly communicate what your project aims and activities will be for example we want to give children a positive outlet through skateboarding and theatre classes also share your message regularly once programs get rolling below are a few tips for communicating to students families and community leaders on your organization s programs goals 1 highlight the positive effects of your program and skateboarding to parents and community leaders ie better behavior of youth confidence physical exercise friendship mental health 2 use regular community events to showcase your activities and what your participants have learned ie skate demos art shows video screenings theatre performances 3 link skateboarding to activities that the community already values such as youthled neighbourhood cleanups and learntoskate days art projects joining existing cultural events or providing educational programs incorporate local cultural influences into everything from tshirts to skatepark design 4 calculate the cost to your organization for each child to attend and frame it as a scholarship ie congratulations your child is selected to receive a oneyear scholarship to program with a value of 200  skateistan s founder oliver right meeting with the soweto skate club in 2013 partnerships one very effective way of engaging with the community is to set up partnerships this means working together with another organization toward a shared goal partnerships are often essential for expanding your organization s programming capacity adding new services or reaching new communities a partnership with another nonprofit or a school for example could involve sharing the responsibilities and costs of a program ie transport food venue volunteers eventplanning equipment infrastructure maintenance a partnership with government donors or businesses involves them supporting your mission by giving money in the form of a grant or donating goods or services required to run your programs such as skateboards shoes or helmets your project can offer visibility recognition and shareable content to partners sponsors and donors a strong and strategic partnership can help to fix gaps in quality strengthen community relationships and reach the people in need of your services they can also provide exciting opportunities on the other hand the wrong partnership can create risk and have negative consequences to your work to lower the risks take time to explore and evaluate potential partners before deciding to work with a new partner next steps 1 make a list of community partners that you d like to involve more in your programs and plan how you will reach out to each of them ie meeting phone call invitation to event or session 2 if you re planning to start a new project location a new program or simply want to learn more about where you are working do a needs assessment using our  needs assessment guideline   embedded video for community engagement a successful skate program depends on having strong community relationships this section gives tips on learning about community needs growing partnerships and doing skateboarding outreach involve communities to make sure everyone understands and values your work public skatepark development guide tony hawk foundation  community engagement toolkit for girls and sports women win  the partnering toolbook tpi  goodpush partnership evaluation tool pdf  needs assessment guideline for skate projects pdf  partnership agreement template pdf  programs partnership policy example pdf  