Community Engagement

Behavior change is something that cannot happen in All these levels of involvement are important and can
isolation. Nor can it be imposed on people in a top-down play a role in social and behavior change communication
manner. Successful behavior change reaches and engages a (SBCC) programs. However, aiming for engagement and
broad group of individuals in the community and considers partnership is a more powerful way of facilitating change
their opinions, needs and values. and making it last even after a project has ended.

Community engagement involves working collaboratively It is important to start communicating with and involving
with and through groups of individuals, organizations community members and stakeholders from program
and institutions in your community that may be affected, conception. Start by thinking about who needs to know
interested or concerned by the issue you are addressing. about the program and who can provide advice and
These individuals and organizations are also referred to as direction to implement it in ways that will be accepted and
stakeholders. successful.

There are different levels at which communities can be These may include:
engaged: • Local residents
• Community and religious leaders
Being informed • Community-based organizations (CBO) and faith-based
organizations (FBO)
Consultation
Being asked • Health providers
• Parents and guardians
Commenting on decisions Engagement • Young people
• Teachers and education officials
Developing solutions • The police
Partnership • Social workers
Delivering services • Community groups

Communities can be engaged in different ways at different stages of your program. The diagram below provides some
examples of how communities can be involved throughout the life of your program.

Program Conception During the Program End of Program

• Introduce your organization • Set up an advisory group to • Partner with organizations,

and your work. guide activities and moblize institutions and community
• Identify the problems you wish resources. members to mobilize
to address in partnership with • Involve the group in resources to sustain
the community. delivering activities. activities.
• Ask the community about their • Partner with local • Involve communities,
needs and potential solutions. organizations, institutions beneficiaries and other
and groups to deliver partners in monitoring
• Gather their ideas on activities.
activities. and evaluating program
• Identify potential partners. activtiies.
• Gather feedback and ideas
• Identify health services for • Develop future proposals
for improvement throughout
linkages and set up a referral with partners and
the duration of the program.
mechanism. communities.

www.healthcommcapacity.org
Tips for Successful Community Engagement guiding the development of specific activities.
• Know why you are engaging the community: What
is the purpose of the engagement effort? Is it to collect An advisory group is best established during the design
data, generate ideas, rally support or obtain active phase of a project, after identifying a priority issue and
involvement from specific community members? potential audiences. The group should provide ideas and
• Know the community: What are the economic feedback on program design, messaging, implementation
conditions of the community, the demographic trends, and evaluation throughout the life of the SBCC program.
political structures and dominant norms and values?
What is the protocol for approaching that community? Generally, members of an advisory group meet regularly
Has the community experienced engagement efforts to review program implementation and activities. More
before? How did it respond? time and commitment is therefore required from them,
than from organizations and institutions engaged through
• Be clear about the individuals, populations and
community engagement efforts.
communities to engage: Who are the important
stakeholders? Who needs to be informed? Whose
Advisory groups are a great opportunity for ensuring the
support does the program need?
perspectives of young people are always considered. Make
• Build trust: Seek to build relationships and sure your advisory group includes representatives of the
partnerships with formal and informal leaderships, and youth segment you are trying to reach.
with local organizations that are already respected by
the community. Tips for Establishing an Advisory Group:
• Respect the opinion, needs and ideas of the • Consider five to ten people: Include those who
community: Make sure talking to the community bring unique knowledge, perspectives and skills to
is not just tokenistic. Listen to their concerns, needs complement those of the program staff.
and ideas, and respond to them. If the project does
• Be strategic about who to include: Invite those who
not have the resources to deliver what they need, let
are supportive of the program and willing to provide
them know and, if possible, support them in finding
guidance and assistance, including speaking publicly
alternative solutions.
and advocating for the program.
• Respect the diversity of the community: Diversity
• Include a range of expertise and experience: Include
may be related to economics, education, employment
representatives of the program’s primary and secondary
and health status; and differences in culture, language,
audiences, representatives of organizations working on
age and interests. Be aware of this diversity and
similar issues and other relevant stakeholders who can
develop strategies to engage with all relevant groups.
provide guidance on specific activities.
• Establish objectives for the group’s involvement: Be
Establishing an Advisory Group clear on the expectations of each member and the time
While community engagement is important for ensuring period they are expected to serve (i.e., attend meetings,
that programs are accepted and creating a supportive provide feedback, assist in recruiting research
environment for change, advisory groups are helpful in participants for pretesting).

A Note on Compensation
Whether community members are invited to share their ideas in a one-off event, or whether they are engaged through
regular advisory group meetings, it is important to acknowledge that people are giving up their time and show appreciation.
This does not need to be a monetary compensation, but it may constitute an expense for the program, so be sure to plan in
advance. Some ideas include:
• Offer light refreshments during the meeting.
• Provide active advisory group members with visible recognition that they are involved, such as t-shirts, caps and bags
with the program logo, an ID card, etc.
• Give training to advisory group members in specific skills and include a certificate.
• Reimburse transport and phone costs.
• Organize occasional events to celebrate successes and express gratitude.
Monetary compensation may attract people who are motivated by money, rather than by the program. It is very important
to rally the support of committed individuals who believe in what the program is trying to achieve, so consider carefully
whether money is the most suitable compensation.