April Edition: Discover Different Ways to Leverage the Visioner Tool to Boost Community Engagement ???
Discover Yarra Ranges Council Place Plan, explore the names proposed by residents for ACT Government's new city maintenance equipment, learn about the City of Kelowna's community-building efforts, plus much more!
Developing a Place Plan
Yarra Ranges Council is working with the community in Yarra Junction to develop a Place Plan. This plan will involve identifying issues and opportunities, understanding what is valued by residents, developing a community vision, establishing priorities, and creating an action plan for the future of Yarra Junction.
By incorporating the Visioner tool into their engagement strategy, Yarra Ranges prompted residents to share their thoughts by asking, "What do you love, or not, about Yarra Junction?" This approach encouraged community members to leave detailed comments, allowing for a more in-depth understanding of the sentiments and opinions regarding Yarra Junction's attributes. We'd like to congratulate Yarra Ranges Council on collecting hundreds of community comments and votes to better inform your Place Plan.
Suggesting Names for City Maintenance Equipment
The ACT Government is inviting residents to participate in a creative endeavor by suggesting names for their new city maintenance equipment. This includes a new street sweeper and two articulated loaders joining the City Services fleet. The City Services team will use this new equipment to assist them in delivering essential maintenance services to Canberrans.
To gather creative ideas from community members, the ACT Government employed the Visioner tool, posing the question, "What is your name suggestion for the new street sweeper?" This engaging initiative invites residents to come up with imaginative names like "Obi-Wan Cleanobi", “Sweeping Beauty”, and "Bruce Springclean," fostering a playful atmosphere and encouraging participation. With already hundreds of comments and votes collected, it's exciting to see the community coming together and we cannot wait to call the City's new street sweeper by name!?
Building a Stronger Community
The City of Kelowna has exciting plans to enhance key community, sport, and wellness projects to support the city's thriving growth. This includes the redevelopment of Parkinson Recreation Centre and its surrounding park as a central recreation hub, constructing new activity centers in Mission and Glenmore, optimizing sports fields in Rutland, and fostering community partnerships with Okanagan College and UBCO.
To finalize these plans, Kelowna is seeking input from its community. Using the traditional Visioner tool, the city is asking residents, “What makes active spaces significant to you?” This is encouraging residents to share comments highlighting the importance of spaces dedicated to community, sports, and wellness, showcasing the positive impacts such areas have on their lives. Squash courts, pickle ball, outdoor space for Tai Chi...hundreds of wonderful ideas are being posted. Congratulations to the City of Kelowna on this successful community engagement initiative!
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Boosting the Quality of Life for a Playground
The City of Greater Geelong is renewing a play space in Aldershot Reserve as part of its playground renewal program and in line with the City's Play Strategy. While the Reserve already has existing amenities including junior play equipment, a basketball half court, shelter, BBQ, and pedestrian path network, the City is seeking ideas and suggestions from the community on how to improve the current playground.
Geelong utilized the Visioner tool to gather input from youth, asking, "What playground equipment do you want in your new playground?" Parents were invited to input responses based on their child's suggestions. Some popular suggestions include a sandpit, swings suitable for all ages, a fenced dog park, and a bike track. Well done, Geelong, in successfully engaging your youngest playground visitors!
A Positive Psychology Guide to Meaningful Community Engagement
Communication is the foundation for effective and meaningful community consultation. Integrating the principles of psychology into community engagement processes can offer invaluable insights creating meaningful interactions.
Tapping into insights from positive psychology, and putting them into everyday practice and consultation processes will not only enhance the quality of your engagements, but will provide some new perspectives on how your communities respond.
1. Building Trust and Rapport | Trust is the foundation of effective community engagement. As professionals, cultivating trust is the foundation which drives our work. Demonstrating authenticity, empathy, and active listening skills will help to create a safe and supportive environment, which community members will more likely feel valued and willing to participate in the engagement process.
2. Embracing the PERMA Model | The PERMA model—Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—provides a framework for promoting well-being and fulfilment in community engagement. Incorporating elements of the PERMA model by designing activities that evoke positive emotions, encourage active participation, create meaningful connections, and celebrate achievements.
3. Expressing Gratitude and Appreciation | Gratitude is a powerful tool for strengthening relationships and promoting collaboration. Engagement professionals can express gratitude towards stakeholders for their contributions and highlight the positive impact of their involvement in the community. Simple gestures of appreciation can go a long way in building goodwill and fostering continued engagement.
4. Promoting Resilience | Community engagement often involves addressing complex challenges and navigating difficult conversations to overcome obstacles and setbacks more effectively. Providing support, feedback, and resources can empower community members to persevere in their efforts to create positive change.
5. Challenging Negative Beliefs | The ABC model (Activating event, Belief, and Consequence) offers a framework for challenging negative beliefs and promoting constructive dialogue. Using this can help you and your community identify and challenge cognitive distortions (that is a biased or irrational thoughts) that may hinder effective communication and decision-making. Reframing perspectives and viewing situations from a more optimistic outlook can help your teams and communities approach challenges with greater resilience and creativity.
6. Fostering System 1 and System 2 Thinking | Brought into the mainstream by Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman, effective community engagement requires a balance of intuitive (System 1) and analytical (System 2) thinking. Designing activities that engage both modes of thinking will allow community members to rely on intuition while also encouraging critical reflection and analysis. By accommodating diverse thinking styles, engagement processes can be more inclusive and effective.
7. Supporting Intrinsic Motivation | Intrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from within and plays a crucial role in sustaining community engagement efforts. Providing opportunities for autonomy, competence, and relatedness within the community. By fostering a sense of ownership and purpose, stakeholders are more likely to remain engaged and committed to the community's goals.
By integrating these principles into everyday practice and consultation processes, community engagement professionals can create more meaningful and inclusive interactions within their local communities. Building trust, resilience, and empowerment through engagement efforts can contribute to positive social change and enhance the well-being of community members.
This month’s pinpoint perspectives have been brought to you by Tania Reis, Customer Success Manager for ANZ.
See you in May!
– Social Pinpoint