How can you promote community ownership and leadership in consultation processes?

True engagement requires active listening. Without active listening, we dilute our effectiveness despite the great tools we have access to in order to gather information. Active listening allows you to stay in the moment, pay attention to body language, and fully digest the facts. This will also allow you to build trust organically and help the relevant stakeholders feel heard and respected.

To gain a meaningful community view- you must engage with all aspects of the community. Young,seniors,parents,businesses ,unemployed,community groups etc etc . The engagement has to suit all - paper copies,open sessions (different times of day) electronic & social media . Too many rely on Facebook and think they have gained insights.

Don't hesitate to exclude the loudest, strongest, most independent and righteous voices. Too much noise and too many demands can sink a process with a lack of perspective and counterproductive intimidation. My favorite example from history was the U.S. Constitution...created during a big representative convention without Adams and Jefferson in attendance. Those two would have stolen all the oxygen in the room with fiery brain power, and nothing would have gotten done through any real group consensus and input.

Tout à fait d’accord de la nécessité d’écoute actif, mais il y a une première étape à franchir, la mobilisation communautaire! Comment susciter de l’intérêt au sein de la communauté sur un sujet qui n’est pas forcément de leur quotidien et leur inciter à mobiliser en discuter! Tel est le principal enjeu d’implanter la licence pour opérer d’un développement industriel de valorisation des ressources naturelles dans les communautés autochtones (indigènes) et souvent analphabètes!!

For meaningful and engaging participatory processes, it is important to select participants from all social groups, ensuring consideration to AGD (Age, Gender, Diversity). In certain communities, the voices of traditional and religious leaders may create pathways for true engagement by communities. Additionally, one may also refer to local authorities - context dependent - in order to secure buy-in from communities that the organization coming to work with them was also accepted by their local leaders. However, in any cases, one should remember to avoid perception biases in identification and engagement approaches.

Community perspectives are diverse, and they may not always align nearly when co-creating programs and projects. It’s important to acknowledge this diversity, and engage community voices in deciding how to navigate it. I also disagree with the wording of “sharing the power and responsibility of decision making with the community.” This language assumes that the community is powerless and those leading the consultation hold power, which goes counter to the very idea of co-creation. Co-creation should challenge power imbalances in consultative processes, and that starts with using more inclusive, equitable language.

Following careful identification of participants, together with local buy-in, the process of co-design and co-creating is closely linked to the engagement strategies to be used. With proper engagement, whereby communities themselves are given the voice to speak about their issues through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, informal conversations, etc. it is most likely that they'll be more open to the co-design and co-create process. To keep in mind is to use a variety of engagement methods and to make small groups discussions as diverse and inclusive as possible so that all voices may be heard and idea generation may be community-centered, not individual-centered.

Becoming involved in any community or culture required much objective Research. It will support you findings/recommendations/strategies/outcomes/trust.

Community-Based Planning (CBP) is a process that empowers individual communities to create their own unique vision and plan for how their community is identified and shape its future. It also gives spaces for communities themselves to report and provide feedback on outcomes. Very useful tool!

Applying deBono's six thinking hats with facilitation could be an excellent way to systematically discuss the problems/challenges, brainstorm solutions, and plan execution strategies.

Promoting community ownership and leadership in consultations is all about effective collaboration. Here are three ways to achieve it: - Capacity Building: Offer training and mentoring to enhance community skills and knowledge in the subject matter and engagement. - Resource Access: Ensure they have the necessary resources—funding, technology, information—to participate effectively. - Networking and Partnerships: Connect them with supportive networks, allies, and partners. Collaborative efforts amplify their voice and impact, making consultations truly community-driven. These tactics empower communities, resulting in greater participation and leadership, leading to more meaningful outcomes.

We've seen in many instances how in-kind grants have been true enablers for communities as it gives them access to the resource without ever thinking of how to make it happen, but it also empowers them to take action in maintaining it in the long term through collaborative actions/efforts, advocacy, training, etc.

The Community M&E Committee will engage in regular review of the implementation to monitor progress, ensuring projects stay on track, and evaluate implementation activities, ensuring that objectives are met. This committee is essential because the sustainability of these projects is dependent upon the community’s ability to continuously monitor, evaluate, learn from, and adapt development projects.