Equitable community engagement is both a process and strategy that holds nonprofits and agencies accountable to the communities most impacted by their organizational practices and policies. While organizations seek to engage community members to better understand their needs, these efforts are sometimes marred by white-centric and inequitable practices masked as good intentions.

This 6-hour workshop provides an overview of the core principles and necessary strategies organizations need to ensure an equitable community engagement process. Participants will unpack engagement methods built on white supremacy culture and explore more meaningful, sustainable and equitable strategies.

With topics ranging from white privilege to power hoarding, this workshop is designed for individuals with a baseline understanding of systems of oppression, the historical context of the communities they work in, and the ways implicit bias impacts their actions. Individuals must also be prepared to practice cultural humility while engaging in difficult conversations.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the ways bias could impact their community engagement efforts and explore ways to minimize bias;
• Incorporate a foundational understanding of power dynamics into their community engagement efforts through an intersectional lens;
• Identify practices for equitable engagement that align with their organization's mission, resources and community needs;
• Draft an initial engagement action plan based on equitable engagement principles using a provided template;
• Give examples of how to address broken trust and community relationships, based on real-life examples.

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This course contains no sessions