How can you build capacity among community members to sustain a community outreach project?

One thing I have found helpful is convening community stakeholders just for the purpose of listening. We undervalue listening. At the listening session their is no need to respond. If it seems overwhelming feel free to ask what are the top 3 initiatives. Take what you heard, go back to your office, reflect and then begin to map out what you can contribute to what has been stated.

First of all, have passion in teaching, and then you can easily build a sense of ownership among the community members. At the beginning of the project, make it clear to the attendees that the project belongs to them. Ensure that during the training, you identify individuals who are passionate about the project by their attitude. Dedicate effort to people with a low level of perception. Encourage attendees to adhere to the principles of associativism and collaboration. Establish community principles derived from the minds of the people. Establish a code of conduct derived from the minds of the attendees. Prepare them for leadership and supervision for a period of no less than 13 months. Be prepared to revamp the initiative if needed

First, you have to identify who the folks are who have already made contributions to the communities. Get to know them. Get to know their concerns. Get to know their goals. Get to know who they are. Then share how you want to support while uplifting what they and their community have already done. Be mindful. They are the experts. Give in all the ways that is helpful while acknowledging what you don't know and what you are able to do to support, setting appropriate parameters so that you are not overstepping.

I've found that assembling a focus group of community leaders is the best starting point to conduct a SWOT analysis for the project. It also helps build belief and buy in as you are providing an opportunity for community partners to actively contribute to the project from the very beginning.

We found that focusing on our youth is key. This involves engaging young people in leadership roles and designing youth-centric programs that align with their interests and that offer skill development. We did this by creating a summer youth employment program which then grew into mentorship opportunities for the older students. Encouraging collaboration and celebrating achievements are important. This nurtures community engagement and cultivates a future generation of leaders and active community members, ensuring the longevity and success of the project. After several years of successful outcomes, the program became self-funded with grants from various stakeholders. The program is going on its 10th year.

One thing I have found helpful is engaging the community at all levels, making them feel and understanding that their thoughts and contributions are the greatest part of what we wish to achieve. This light them up to share in the vision and goals to ensure proper ways of making it work.

To build the community capacity: 1. Using community structure and infulencial community leader. 2.community mobilization and information dismination 3.use existing community platform and tested strategy . 4.Build true partnership and sustain it

Handling expectations is key to ensure that your shared vision and goals align with those of the community. Developing values together creates a sense of responsibility and predicts a project's outcomes.

Increase community participation on project activities for making sense of ownership if thise made the sustainability there .in addition to these give awareness creation for the community on community engagement,As well as given the training of community Vision traning have significant role for sustain project outreach. experience sharing is also needed.

This is equally about having all stakeholders on the same page. Everyone understands the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the project. This vision is the driving force for all stakeholders.

A typical example for me is doing the game based activities to get everyone participating and happy. Sharing relatable stories that makes us venerable to each other so we can break every barrier limiting us from belonging to the family bond we have created.

Trust isn’t built overnight. It can take years; especially in communities who have been lied to, underfunded etc. I encourage folks who are looking to organize outside of their own communities to establish relationships with residents who are already trusted within their neighborhood. Start with these individuals; ask them to participate in a leadership role to help the cause. Learn from them - they have much to teach. Listen to them - they have such wisdom. Follow their lead - they are natural born leaders. Another opportunity to build trust is to participate in neighborhood events. Introduce yourself and listen to the stories of residents without judgement. Show up consistently and with no agenda other than to build relationships.

Start with small, achievable projects that help to build wins together. Through this process people will learn how to communicate with each other, how to overcome barriers together, problem solve and potentially conflict resolution. This builds strength and relationships in collaborative groups. Move slowly in the relationships and trust so you can move quickly in the work later.

Sensitization and mobilization of the community to focus on the positive positive response to global and sustainable ways of this generation ways of living.

As a community organizer, I can add that building trust and nurturing relationships with your neighbors and members of the community is key to increase capacity for a community project. Meeting people where they at, being present in their important community gatherings, events or religious activities shows other that you cared for them. Being transparent is the best way to be remembered for and always keep your word. Never promise anything that you can't do.

For Example, If you are running a Developer Community then encourage your event attendees to become a speaker and train them in how to effectively deliver their talk and become a speaker in the future events.

Training and mentoring community leaders is essential as it helps to develop strong, effective leadership within the community, ensuring that there are individuals who possess the necessary skills and knowledge to address the community's needs and challenges. You’re also investing in the development of community leaders and we can cultivate a sense of empowerment and ownership within the community, leading to increased engagement and proactive problem-solving. They can essentially serve as role models, inspiring others to take on leadership roles and contribute to the betterment of the community.

Actually, I love the idea of mentoring and coaching community leaders to take up roles and tasks in our absence. This is an initiative I would love to take. As I read this, it sparked some ideas in my mind and I will share how it goes.

These leaders, whether they're staff, volunteers, or passionate members, are pivotal in steering the community's direction. Empowering them with new skills and knowledge is crucial. It’s also about creating opportunities for them to build networks, both within and outside the community, giving them space to offer feedback and guidance. I recall when I launched the super user program at Dropbox and the community leaders program at Wix, these were great ways to build strong advocacy and support from our core users.

Training and developing soft skills in our leaders are crucial for their personal growth and interpersonal formation. These skills, including effective communication, empathy, time management, and teamwork, not only enhance efficiency in the workplace but also strengthen interpersonal relationships. Soft skills training contributes to the construction of more effective leaders by improving their ability to communicate ideas clearly and comprehensibly. The empathy developed through these skills fosters a more compassionate leadership style focused on the well-being of others, enhancing the capacity to understand and address the needs of those around them.

We call this "shared leadership" which is super tough if you love to be in the spotlight alone - a rough truth. This is actually a complex skill to master since this is connected to a few other leadership ideas. In a shared leadership context, there is no one man show and everyone from a group of leaders work under each other's leadership, so working under someone else's leadership also counts. Micromanaging kills this process. Shared leadership helps people own the project and empowers them. Responsibility can also empower which we often fail to understand. Empowered leaders are less likely to feel bored because they own the task. But that responsibility should be distributed carefully, that's the art of a good leader.

One person cannot manage any community project alone without putting strain and stress on themselves. So, work together. Evaluate your core teams strengths and weaknesses. Use those skills to your advantage. Back each other up when needed. Assigning a core function/role to each team member is empowering, offering their leadership skills to shine and improve. An empowered individual is a motivated one, creating a more dynamic path to achieving your projects ultimate mission. You got this!

Community ran Community owned It’s paramount for the community to have a buy in, in the outreach project and who best to give solutions than the members who have diverse capabilities? Who best knows what would work what is the best mode of outreach that will be impactful than the community members Tap into those capabilities and give different roles and responsibilities to them and the project will be community ran, community owned and this ensure sustainability The community are a key resource to the project, the human resource

Make sure everyone is included who wants to be, and make sure everyone who is included has a role or is able to make a contribution. Do your best to let people lean into their expertise, strengths, their own judgement. This will help them feel valued and appreciated, and not micromanaged.

Promoting interdisciplinary work in young leaders is essential to unleash their full potential. Each one possesses unique talents and skills, and by collaborating in interdisciplinary teams, they can harness these strengths comprehensively. The diversity of perspectives and knowledge enriches problem-solving, stimulating creativity and innovation. By nurturing this collaboration, we not only strengthen the leadership of young individuals but also build solid foundations to address the complex challenges of today's world. In this approach, each talent becomes an essential piece of a larger puzzle, driving positive and sustainable change.

Evaluation is of great importance because it help bring out the achievements and failures of the project. On the part of the achievement, it help the team to know what to do to enhance what is already achieved Whiles understanding areas that needs improvements regarding the failed side, by clearly identifying why it failed and what can be done. Again it also create opportunities to celebrate wonderful works of the team members, sometimes with citations, some get together and the likes...

Especially when projects are prolonged, I find it important to celebrate benchmark accomplishments along the way to goal achievement to retain support, prevent project fatigue and burnout.

This is a very critical step as community members need to be able to monitor progress and agree upon where more and specific actions are required to overcome past problems.

Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) isn't just for improving future projects; an ongoing MEL process can offer the opportunity to respond quickly to changes on the ground and adapt as needed during various phases of the project. Celebrating not only progress, but also relationships, reinforces collaborations and encourages participation. Community celebrations also recognize that the most important stakeholders in any project are not merely funders or external monitors, but the community members themselves.

Always consider: What isn't being asked? Who is most affected by this issue (or any potential change)? Who isn't at the table? Asking the unasked questions and inviting those who aren't usually approached can lead to the most innovative, thoughtful, and lasting projects.

Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say 'We have done this ourselves. Lao Tzu In summary!

In my experience, it is especially valuable to involve community members in determining the ways that progress on an initiative or project can be measured, thinking through what metrics make sense, and strategizing how to collect data and perspectives that will inform progress being made, or what do we need to do differently if progress is stalled.

Think about how you think. Create space for diverging opinions. Ask opened questions. Conduct retrospectives. Figure out how to track qualitative progress from the start.

I was Coordinator of a very diverse group of community leaders and stakeholders. We needed law enforcement participation, but police are very busy and getting commitment was difficult. I learned that police would participate as long as there were practical processes and goals that benefited them. Buy in is essential to and from all stakeholders. Ensure expected outcomes include something for everyone.