Community Engagement: Approaches and Best Practices

This report discusses community engagement approaches and best practices used by Age UK and Maya's Organisation Philippines. It highlights the importance of effective communication, active stakeholders’ participation, and inclusion in community engagement. The report also covers the process followed by Age UK to adopt best practices and monitor performance. The references section includes books and journals related to community engagement.

Assessment 2
Community
Engagement

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Project undertaken..................................................................................................................3
Community engagement approaches......................................................................................4
Difference that effective communication, active stakeholders’ participation, and inclusion can
make in community engagement............................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES:...............................................................................................................................8
Books and Journals.................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Community engagement is the act that helps to involve the members of community in
such a manner that they are able to bring welfare of the community. There is key role of
community engagement in developing the society and letting the work effectively. They work to
benefit all the members of society in positive manner and helping them to achieve success
(Konsti-Laakso and Rantala, 2018). The aim is to solve the issues that are being faced by the
local people so that they are able to overcome the same. This report is based on Age UK. The
organisation works to provide better experience to the old people. They provide them services
and other support for older people. They play a vital role in managing the life of old people and
helping them to become digital. There is difference among the different organisations that is part
of this report. There is evaluation of the best practices that are being used. The approaches used
by the community ae important part of this report. There is vital role of effective communication,
stakeholders’ participation, and inclusion can make in community engagement and that is also
discussed.
MAIN BODY
Community engagement includes all the efforts that are made by the firm in order to help
the society. Their aim is to provide welfare to all the people of society who are facing some or
the other problem. There is certain project that they carry on in order to manage the working of
the society (Yamamura and Koth, 2018). There is need of using such approaches that make them
beneficial and enhance their image in market. It helps them to achieve goals and objectives.
Project undertaken
Age UK Maya's Organisation Philippines
The organisation undertakes the project related
to better service to the older people. There is
need of providing them better place to live and
where they can communicate. They also work
to provide them digital support and care so that
they are able to interact via social media
platforms.
It works for the benefit of the children. There is
social exploitation observed in small children.
The society works to provide the support and
guidance to safeguard themselves from the
same. Their aim is take children out of the
darkness and live their life in light.

Community engagement approaches
There are certain approaches that are being used by community in order to carry on their
goals and objectives effectively. The approaches that are used by Age UK are as follows:
Web-based engagement: This is the approach under which the organisation uses digital
platforms to engage the people. The present era is related to digitalisation and there is need for
these communities to switch towards digitalisation as well. The use of web based platforms help
them to reach more people and attract them. It is necessary to have effective presence on web
media in today’s time.
Community meetings: They keep on doing regular community meetings. These meeting
are necessary for growth and development of the society (Pratt and de Vries, 2018). All the
decisions are being taken by the discussion of all the important parties. There is need of in depth
analysis that will lead to proper decision making for success of the enterprise. These meeting are
undertaken to discuss the problem and identify the best available solutions.
The approaches used by Maya's Organisation Philippines are as follows:
Surveys: It is a technique that is being used by the community. It helps to know about the
information from the children. The focus is to reach more and more children so that their
problems are solved. There are different problems that are being faced by children and all of
them are identified.
Focus groups: The community formulates focus groups. These groups help to motivate the
children. Their parents are involved so that they are able to solve the issues faced by them.
All the communities follow the approaches according to their aim. These approaches help
them to meet the desired goals and activities properly (Biddison and et.al., 2018).
Difference that effective communication, active stakeholders’ participation, and inclusion can
make in community engagement.
There is key role of effective communication. It helps the community to carry on the work
effectively and build relations. The use of proper communication helps to engage the
stakeholders towards the organisation and engage them. The Age UK is able to build relation
with the stakeholders due to proper communication being used by them. There is requirement of
proper communication among all the team members are able to manage the working and take
effective actions (Ekzayez and et.al., 2020). This facilitates the working of the team members
that help them to take effective actions. In relation to this, the effective communciation practises

can support the company in making proper engagement between different stakeholders as well as
community members in the most effective manner.
Stakeholders are important for the company and there is need of engaging the stakeholder
so that the work can be managed properly. There is requirement of building trust among the
stakeholders and all the members and build relation with them. All the problems can be solved
effectively by having engaged stakeholders (Mehra, Sikes and Singh, 2020). This is necessary
for the success of firm. Hence, the proper engagement of share holders can support the company
in attaining its objectives more effectively.
Practice of inclusion must be followed by all the members of the organisation. It is
necessary to fulfil the requirements of the members and help them to achieve the common
objective of the firm. All the targets must be attained by the organisation with the use of
inclusion. There is use of social media that helps to engage more and more people in the
company and share important information. All these factors help to manage community in
effective manner (Lo Presti and Marino, 2020).
Process exercised by community in order to adopt best practises:
The process is used by the companies for attaining gaols and objectives. The process is
crucial as well as important to be followed in order to gain better results that the company needs
to attain best practises,. The steps followed in the Age UK are discussed below:
Start research:
The most significant aspect in order to achieve best practises is to evaluate the problem
by undertaking a proper research. It is critical to gain an insight about the large number of people
that are facing the problems and then find a suitable action for reducing their problems. In
addition to this, the Age UK performs proper research in the market and then take a necessary
actions. Hence, this can support the company to find the best possible practises in order to
provide effective solutions for the challenges of society(Pratt and de Vries, 2018).
Community mapping:
In this, the society takes care of the priorities and set them in order to attain best
practises. As in the first step, the research activity has allowed the company in setting priorities
in the effective manner. There is the need for immediate planning in order to initiate the work
and after taking appropriate actions to attain goals and objectives. In this, all the actions are taken
for the well-being of members and for success of the community. Hence, the community

mapping is considered as the critical activity by focusing on the most important problem and
them find the best appropriate solutions for solving the community problems.
Social media engagement:
The other step, the Age UK works for engaging a large number of people with the help of
social media platforms. The meetings can be performed by the company in order to identify the
ways for engaging the stakeholders in effective manner. This provides a clarity and supports in
attaining goals and objectives in the best manner. it is important to initiate communication in
order to perform suitable actions. In addition to this, the social media engagement can also assist
the Age UK company in gaining insight about the main issue that is originating within the
society (Yamamura and Koth, 2018).
Monitor performance:
It is compulsory to manage and monitor the performance of society for finding a best
practises. It is also crucial to evaluate the the work done by all the members. It is indispensable
for Age UK company to draw strategies that supports in evaluating the performance of society.
In this, the company can check the achievements of community by monitoring the efficiency of
the actions taken. In relation to this, the analysis of the outcomes helps the company in
identifying the suitable action plans by evaluating the set standards with the current performance
standards (Mukhopadhyay, Chang-Koh and Har, 2021).
These are the steps which is undertaken by the Age UK company . The above processes
supports the company to analyse the best action plans by doing a proper research as well as
proper planning process. In relation to this, the monitoring of the performance level also supports
the firm in taking a better process which leads to the better dealing with the problems of the
society as well as members (Taylor, 2019).
Conclusion:
It has been concluded that the community engagement is the critical concept which
assists in making proper solutions to the issues faced by the society members. It was analysed
that there is the need to support the people who are facing problems. The communities are
formulated with the purpose of supporting other in solving the issues faced by the society
members. In addition to this, it has been analysed that in order to provide effective solutions of
the problem first the problem needs to identified and then a suitable action is to be drawn
according to the problems. This has assisted the company in providing an effective solutions to

the issue of the community. Moreover, the report has also analysed that different approaches is
used by different organisations according to the type of nature. Hence, it was evaluated that it is
essential to communicate effectively, engage various stakeholder as well as adopt the practise of
inclusion. Moreover, it has been also analysed that the processes adopted by the company
supports it in identifying the best practises that assisted the organisation in providing better
solutions to the problems of the society as well as members. Furthermore, it was also analysed
that the monitoring performance level is critical in order to rectify the ineffective process which
can lead to the development of better process for enhancing the well-being of society as a whole.

REFERENCES:
Books and Journals
Ekzayez and et.al., 2020. COVID-19 response in northwest Syria: innovation and community
engagement in a complex conflict. Journal of public health, 42(3), pp.504-509.
Konsti-Laakso, S. and Rantala, T., 2018. Managing community engagement: A process model
for urban planning. European Journal of Operational Research, 268(3), pp.1040-1049.
Mehra, B., Sikes, E.S. and Singh, V., 2020. Scenarios of technology use to promote community
engagement: Overcoming marginalization and bridging digital divides in the Southern and
Central Appalachian rural libraries. Information Processing & Management, 57(3),
p.102129.
Pratt, B. and de Vries, J., 2018. Community engagement in global health research that advances
health equity. Bioethics, 32(7), pp.454-463.
Yamamura, E.K. and Koth, K., 2018. Place-based community engagement in higher education:
A strategy to transform universities and communities. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Lo Presti, L. and Marino, V., 2020. Is online public engagement a new challenge in the
university communication plan? A managerial perspective. Studies in Higher
Education, 45(7), pp.1380-1397.
Mukhopadhyay, K., Chang-Koh, S. and Har, J.R.G., 2021. Preparing Next-Generation-Citizens
Through Active-Community-Engagement: Longitudinal Study of Informal Learning in
an Asian Undergraduate Residential College. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher,
pp.1-13.
Taylor, J.K., 2019. The art museum redefined: Power, opportunity, and community engagement.
Springer Nature.
Biddison and et.al., 2018. Scarce resource allocation during disasters: a mixed-method
community engagement study. Chest, 153(1), pp.187-195.