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What is community engagement?
Community engagement refers to a process by which organizations and individuals can build relationships in their communities to apply a collective vision and move toward positive change. The Tamarack Institute on Community Engagement defines community engagement as “…people working collaboratively, through inspired action and learning, to create and realize bold visions for their common future.”
How is engagement essential to health promotion?
One of the five main Action Areas in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion is to strengthen community action. Community engagement is a health promotion strategy focused on strengthening the existing capacity of the community to address shared health concerns.
By supporting involvement from a wide range of local sources, health promotion that focuses on community engagement can support and encourage collaboration for social change. By actively engaging others and making the most of their talents and contributions, communities can also support social inclusion to reach marginalized populations, reduce inequalities and promote health equity.
Community engagement can influence local policy-making, increase services that are accessible and equitable and support effective networks between sectors. (link to infosheet on healthy networks),
What is an example of community engagement at work?
Connecting the Dots (CTD) is a dynamic community engagement model developed by Health Nexus. It helps communities work together differently for better chronic disease outcomes and improved health for all. CTD brings together a wide cross-section of stakeholders who would not otherwise typically meet. Through community engagement, they strengthen their capacity, share knowledge, and build networks for health promotion and chronic disease prevention across a geographic community or a community of interest.
One recent CTD success involved engaging with the large South Asian population in Ontario’s Peel Region. South Asians are among a number of ethno-racial communities at high risk for stroke. In collaboration with the West Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Stroke Network, Health Nexus obtained funding to organize a CTD process and forum specific to South Asians and stroke, and began talking to key stakeholders from within the stroke prevention/care continuum and South Asian communities. The forum featured speakers from across the partner organisations including doctors, other health experts and community leaders, as well as insight and perspective provided by a South Asian stroke survivor from the local community. By fostering new connections and learning, this community engagement process created the conditions for ongoing cross-continuum and cross-sectoral collaboration in Peel Region.
Where can you go for more information?
 Health Nexus Learning Resources
 Connecting the Dots: A Handbook for Chronic Disease Prevention through Community Engagement, 2009
Primer to Action: Social Determinants of Health by Health Nexus and Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, 2008
Websites
Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement
Canadian Best Practices Portal for Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention
EPIC: Engaging People. Improving Care – A Community Engagement Resource for Ontario’s Health Care System
Online tools
Collaboration Handbook: Creating, Sustaining, and Enjoying the Journey by Michael Winer and Karen Ray
Community Engagement and Communication: The Health Planners’ Toolkitby the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2006
From the Ground Up: An Organizing Handbook for Healthy Communities by the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
Intersectoral Action Toolkit: The Cloverleaf Model for Success by Health Canada, 2000
Online Health Program Planner by The Health Communication Unit
The Community Development Handbook: A Tool to Build Community Capacity by Flo Frank and Anne Smith, Human Resources Development Canada
The Partnership Handbook by Flo Frank and Anne Smith, Human Resources Development Canada
Towards Whole of Community Engagement: A Practical Toolkit by H. J. Aslin, and V. A. Brown., Murray-Darling Basin Commission, 2005
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