Capacity Building
Through Effective
Meaningful Engagement
A TOOL FOR LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS
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AEPA
How to Use This Booklet
This booklet is intended to help local and state government officials create
or expand their plan for engaging meaningfully with the communities most
affected by their actions. The plan will depend on existing levels of engagement
with affected communities, level of community interest, available resources and
other factors; therefore, no two approaches to meaningful engagement will be exactly
alike. The examples included here are not intended to be blueprints for what "successful
meaningful engagement" should look like in all situations, but instead help spark ideas as
you develop your plan for meaningful community engagement.
WHY IS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IMPORTANT?
Pursuing the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people potentially impacted by environmental
policies or laws is a central tenet of the Environmental Protection Agency. It means:
People have an opportunity to
participate in decisions about
activities that may affect their
environment and/or health.
The public's
contribution can
influence the
decision maker.
Community concerns
will be considered in
the decision-making
process.
Decision makers
seek out and facilitate the
involvement of those
potentially affected.
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OIF
WELL-DESIGNED MEANINGFUL
ENGAGEMENT?1
INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACCEPTANCE for
projects and solutions.
GENERATES SOLUTIONS that are more effective.
EMPOWERS AND INTEGRATES PEOPLE from
different backgrounds.
BUILDS LOCAL NETWORKS of community
members that are committed to helping make the
project and solutions come to fruition.
INCREASES TRUST in community organizations
and governance.
CREATES OPPORTUNITIES for discussing concerns.
1 Penn State University and the College of Agriculture Sciences' Center for Economic
and Community Development, (n.d.). Why community engagement matters. Retrieved
from https://aese.psu.edu/research/centers/cecd/engagement-toolbox/engagement/
why-community-engagement-matters. Adapted from Bassler, A. (2008). Developing
Effective Citizen Engagement: /I How-to Guide for Community Leaders. Center for Rural
Pennsylvania.
EMPOWERED
DECISION-MAKING TOOLS
DISTRIBUTING
SslNFO;
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&EPA
Capacity Building Through Effective
Meaningful Engagement
Compass to
Meaningful
Engagement W
APPROACHES TO MAKING DECISIONS
EMPOWERED DECISION MAKING WHILE MAINTAINING ENGAGEMENT
Is it more important to make your decision quickly or inclusively? The chart below illustrates the
different approaches you, your team and communities can take toward making inclusive decisions.
While streamlined decisions might be quick at first, more inclusive decisions can often be more
durable and lead to less opposition or roadblocks later.
AUGUST METHOD3
Individual
One person makes
the decision.
FASTEST
4
APPROACHES
DECISION
MAKERS SHOULD
USE MOST OFTEN
Advice
Decision maker
gathers input
then makes final
decision.
Consent
Decision maker(s)
gather input,
answer clarifying
questions and
make final decision
once dissenting
opinions have
been discussed.
Consensus
Everyone
agrees.
t
MOST
INCLUSIVE
Identify
Identify impacted communities
and opportunities for local
partnerships.
Involve
Authentically communicate
with the community to
receive their input on your
proposed project by offering
multiple opportunities to
solicit feedback.
m
Educate
Educate yourself and
your organization
on the unique needs
and aspirations of the
communities affected.
(£?
Engage
Create an ecosystem
of continuous
and purposeful
communication with
community members
and other interested
parties.
Inform
Inform the public of upcoming or
ongoing projects that may affect
them through multiple widely
accessible information streams.
3 August Inc. (n.d.) Empowered Decision Making. Retrieved from
https://mmm.aug.co/decision-making.
Evaluate
Evaluate and adjust your
engagement practices based
on feedback from community
members and other
interested parties.
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Roadmap to Building Trust
Within the Community
1 Setting the
groundwork
A. Outline prior engagement efforts and
develop a list of best practices and
available resources.
B. Leverage existing relationships with
community partners and organizations
to ensure diverse perspectives are
represented.
C. Confer with members of the community
to identify and prioritize knowledge gaps,
community-specific concerns, aspirations
and any shared goals.
D. Consider what entities will be essential
in the decision-making process to enact
change.
E. Create a set of standard operating
procedures on communication norms with
your community members, partners and
other interested parties.
2 Establish and maintain positive
relationships with all community
partners involved or potentially affected
A. Build a coalition or advisory board that includes
community members to continue initial outreach
conversations and create a space for collaborative
brainstorming and sharing experiences.
B. Create opportunities of various formats to provide
feedback and express ideas.
C. Ensure that all materials use plain writing and
are available in English and other appropriate
languages.
D. Ensure that outreach activities provide sufficient
background information so that individuals from
the community can productively engage.
E. Maintain honesty and transparency in the process
by explaining limitations in authority and by
providing opportunities for community feedback
and clear explanations for how community input
has been incorporated into the final product or
why it cannot be incorporated.
5
Capacity Building Through Effective
Meaningful Engagement
Manage and resolve conflict throughout
1 the engagement process
A. Develop accessible, effective and inclusive methods
of communication and decision making while
empowering communities to voice their concerns
freely and in a constructive manner.
B. Establish clear roles and responsibilities to organize
and provide structure for decision making.
C. Establish a feedback process to incorporate
continuous and authentic input regarding
adjustments to your engagement plan.
D. Consider the potential need for a facilitator to
provide support with difficult conversations or
strained community relationships.
Create a Community
Engagement Plan
A. Develop a plan with community involvement that outlines
the benefits and disbenefits that the local community
will receive and defines when and how community
engagement will occur throughout and beyond the
entirety of the project. This plan should include:
1. Community engagement goals
2. Decision-making criteria
3. Reporting mechanisms
4. Accountability measures
5. Timeline
6. Community concerns and goals
7. Established metrics and data collection systems
8. Levers for change
9. Strategies for reducing community burden
CONTINUED ~
Establish consent on the Community
Engagement Plan
A. Host consultations on the final draft Community
Engagement Plan and inform communities,
ensuring the opportunity to provide feedback
before finalizing.
B. Empower communities by accepting feedback
often, offering multiple ways to submit comments
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6
Build momentum for implementing
the Community Engagement Plan
B
A. Inform additional community partners and
decision makers of the Community Engagement
Plan and fairly emphasize alignment of project
and community goals.
Collaborate with local governing bodies to
increase support and
ensure feasibility.
Consider piloting
elements of the plan with
community members to
gauge early successes.
©
7 Gather feedback to evaluate
the effectiveness of the
Community Engagement Plan
A. Consult with community members
on progress and process to date.
B. Identify obstacles to greater public
participation and engagement.
C. Identify areas of improvement for future projects
and develop lessons learned.
D. Ensure clear and measurable outcomes are being
properly reported and effectively communicated t
communities.
E. Solicit feedback on and assess the effectiveness o'
engagement strategies.
Community
idance has beei
Drive the process to
maintain ongoing engagement
A. Develop a cadence for welcoming community
feedback throughout and beyond the life of the
project, providing milestone updates and creating
opportunities for continued engagement.
B. Open several channels of communication such as
large and small group meetings, public comment
periods, newsletter dissemination, coffee chats
and online or paper feedback. Establish a plan
for conflict resolution (mediated/facilitated/etc.).
Use plain language infographics or short videos
distributed through social media to raise awareness.
C. Inform community members of future projects and
opportunities for collaboration.
D. Community engagement is crucial to systemic
change, but can be difficult at times to incorporate
and involve a variety of voices at the decision-
making table. The Feedback Loop process can help.
i. The Feedback Loop process can engage residents
and community members, particularly in
marginalized groups where voices are often not
heard or considered, by creating a community-
centered approach and a sense of shared
ownership within the community resulting in
continuous input and improvement.
ii. A Feedback Loop process is a recurring cycle
where the output of a system is used to
adjust its inputs or operations, enabling
continuous improvement.
ncrease on average
when the Feedback
Loop process was
implemented.4
4Jackson, K. T., et al. (2018). Community
A Engagement: Using Feedback Loops to Empower
Residents and Influence Systemic Change in
Culturally Diverse Communities. Global Journal
of Community Psychology Practice, 9(2), 1 -21.
Retrieved from https://www.gjcpp.org/en/
I
Capacity Building Through Effective
Meaningful Engagement
Example Engagement Strategies
At the US EPA, we work through partnerships that seek to create communication and collaboration
across jurisdictional and cultural boundaries. Our ethic of working together reinforces community
bonds, strengthens our nation's social fabric and fosters community prosperity while improving public
health and our environment. By building stronger relationships and reaching out to underserved and
overburdened communities, we can more effectively promote public health and the environment through
treating fairly and honoring all the communities we serve. To that end, the examples below are intended
to inspire local and state governments to meaningfully engage the public in a more inclusive and
accessible manner. While the examples below may not necessarily align with the timing and resources
available, the overarching engagement techniques are applicable.
ENGAGING WITH THE CAUSE THROUGH ART AND LITERATURE
IThe 2022 EPA Clean Air Act Excellence Award Recipient: City University of New York
(CUNY) School of Law Center for Urban Environmental Reform "Mayah's Lot," by
Charlie LaGreca & Rebecca Bratspies
¦ CONCEPT
Creating accessible information
for the public through art and
literature.
¦ BACKGROUND
Before members of a community
are motivated to engage, they need
to make a connection between
the topic at hand and themselves.
An innovative graphic novel
uses storytelling to help
students make this
connection. Written by
Rebecca Bratspies and
Charlie LaGreca under
the auspices of the
CUNY Center for Urban
Environmental Reform,
"Mayah's Lot" is the first book and
video in the "Environmental Justice
Chronicles" a series of
Cover image of
"Mayah's Lot," the
first installment in
the "Environmental
Justice Chronicles."
Art by Charlie LaGreca.
graphic novels that tell the
story of young people
who organize their
community to advocate
for environmental
justice. Students learn
basic civics, leadership,
some science and the
importance of community
cohesion. Students create their
own comic books, then develop and
implement an environmental justice
campaign that builds change
within their own community.
¦ RESULTS
"Mayah's Lot" has grown into a
video and curriculum, as well as a
teacher training program, that has
engaged thousands of students in
classrooms across New York City,
the United States and beyond,
as well as a teacher training
program. "Mayah's Lot" has been
incorporated into Chicago's
Curriculum Equity Initiative and the
Urban Waters and Groundwork
USA Environmental Justice
Curriculum, a Subject-to-Climate
lesson plan and is featured as
a teaching resource by many
organizations, including Children's
Environmental Health Network.
Source: Bratspies, Rebecca M., Mayah's Lot: Teaching Environmental Justice With Comic Books (August 22, 2019). Forthcoming chapter in The Media Method: Teaching
Law With Pop Culture (Christine A. Corcos, ed.), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3441397.
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&EPA
CREATING ACCESSIBLE CONTENT TO FOSTER ENGAGEMENT
2 University of Louisville Christina Lee Brown
Envirome Institute, KY
¦ CONCEPT
Creating accessible information
for the public through art and
literature.
¦ BACKGROUND
Launched in 2018, the University
of Louisville Christina Lee
Brown Envirome Institute is
dedicated to bringing a holistic
approach to researching the
relationship between humans,
their environment and their
communities, The institute
collaborates with the Louisville
Metro Government, other
universities, federal grantors,
philanthropic donors, corporations
and K-12 schools.
¦ RESULTS
Development of video abstracts
to provide a visual element to
research articles.
Development of personal
testimonies as part of masking
campaign, including a social
media push and virtual forums.
Support of an open repository of
local data governed by community
volunteers.
Development of interactive online
media to connect residents to
environmental health research,
as well as virtual and in-person
meetings.
Collection of wastewater data
from the public which was
published weekly online to help
residents understand risk.
Creation of an online Science
Communication Live Office Hour
for community members to join,
learn and ask questions.
Source: https://louisville.edu/envirome/thecoimmunityproject/2021QutreachRecap.pdf.
ENGAGING COMMUNITY BY BRIDGING BARRIERS
3 California Department of Public Health's
Environmental Health Investigations Branch
¦ CONCEPT
Navigating cultural and linguistic
barriers in community engagement.
¦ BACKGROUND
Local health departments told the
California Department of Public
Health's Environmental Health
Investigations Branch (EHIB) about
lead poisoning among immigrant
children from imported makeup
called "surma" or "kohl" that is used
for cultural practices. The Western
States Pediatric Environmental
Health Specialty Unit partnered
with the EHIB to publish fact
sheets based on EHIB's work with
community members.
¦ PROCESSES
Leaders in Northern California's
Afghan communities played key
roles in the development, field
testing and dissemination of the
fact sheets.
EHIB first interviewed community
leaders on surma use among
adults and children.
EHIB determined that multiple
surma fact sheets were needed
because of important cultural
nuances, including different
names for surma, ways it is
applied, and beliefs around its
purpose and benefits.
Community leaders recruited
participants for focus groups and
field testing of the fact sheets in
mosques and other community
spaces, which helped EHIB to
address some cultural myths
9
Capacity Building Through Effective
Meaningful Engagement
around surma in the educational
messages.
¦ RESULTS
Using professional translators and
native speaker reviewers:
EHIB developed seven fact sheets,
each targeted to different
immigrant and refugee
populations using appropriate
languages, terms and images.
EHIB also provided lead-free eye
pencils to community members
who exchanged them for surma
products containing lead, so that
their cultural practices could
continue.
An Afghan community leader
and a local doctor also recorded
a satellite Afghan TV call-in
show in Dari and Pashto to raise
awareness about lead in surma
with a global audience.
Source: Engaging Communities for Greater Equity and Environmental fustice lca.gov). Page SO
DOWNSTREAM MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT
EPA Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) Schools Program:
I Schools Health and indoor Environments Leadership (SHIELD) Network
¦ CONCEPT
Providing a framework for training
instructors on how to train other
individuals in their organization,
also known as the train-the-trainer
framework.
¦ BACKGROUND
The SHIELD Network recruits,
coordinates, organizes and
consults with a multi-disciplinary
group of community leaders and
interested parties to advance
principles and practices that
achieve healthier indoor learning
environments and support the
development of environmental
quality programs in school districts
nationwide. EPA convenes the
SHIELD Network, consisting of
the top leadership in the healthy
school's movement, several times
a year partnering with the EHIB to
publish fact sheets based on EHIB's
work with community members.
¦ PROCESSES
Established in 2013, members
were recruited by the US EPA
Office of Radiation and Indoor
Air (ORIA) Indoor Environments
Division (IED) Schools Team and
invited to join based on their
strong track record of school
indoor air quality (IAQ) activities
and results and a demonstrated
sustained commitment to healthy
and sustainable indoor learning
environments.
Several times a year, SHIELD
hosts interactive action-learning
events intended to connect and
inspire the group in service to
create healthier indoor learning
environments.
In 2014, the SHIELD Network
designed one way of moving
school staff toward mastery by
helping to develop and deliver the
original IAQ Tools for the Schools
Professional Training Webinar series.
Since then, they have developed
three webinar series consisting
of more than 30 live and on-
demand offerings. The series
were developed to address the
specific areas school partners
have committed to actively
achieving dramatic results in
health, academic and building
performance.
¦ RESULTS
At least 5,000 school champions
are in action to achieve
transformative health, academic
and facilities improvements by
committing to IAQ mastery.
The development of tools and
recorded trainings accessible to
those unable to join live,
A membership of 130 of the top
leadership from every sector in
the healthy schools movement.
10
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4^% School District
Faculty Coaching
¦ BACKGROUND
Indoor Environments Division
(IED) recruits school districts from
across the country who have
effective indoor air quality (IAQ)
programs. IED works to empower
them to serve as peer mentors to
other school districts nationwide
as faculty speakers in the IAQ Tools
for Schools Professional Training
Webinar Series. As the teams meet
school district personnel through
conferences and engaging events
for interested parties, strong
candidates are welcomed into
the training program to serve as
models.
¦ PROCESS
IED began recruiting and coaching
School District "Faculty" Mentors
in the early 2000s. District Faculty
began as IAQ Tools for Schools
Excellence Award Winners who
then served as Model Presenters
during annual IAQ Tools for
Schools Symposium events. These
Symposium workshops trained
400-500 school community
members and other interested
parties on implementing IAQ
Plans and achieving improved
environmental and health
outcomes in schools. After the
Symposiums ended in 2011 due
to reductions in funding, current
and new district faculty have
been active in providing technical
expertise on the IAQ Professional
Training Webinar Series and
during conference presentations
nationwide.
¦ RESULTS
Development of program activities,
such as:
Highlighting their districts as
featured presenters on the IAQ
Tools for Schools Professional
Webinar Series.
Preparing Case Studies and
Program Spotlights about their
district IAQ programs.
Featuring their school districts
IAQ programs as examples in
guidance materials.
Supporting them to become
Master Class members by taking
all 10 original webinars in the
series and then inviting them into
the SHIELD Network.
Encouragement of peer-to-peer
mentorship.
4.3
Direct Technical Assistance and
Training to School Districts
¦ BACKGROUND
IED consults with subject matter
experts to provide direct technical
assistance to school districts to
address their unique and specific
needs for improving IAQ in their
schools.
¦ PROCESS
2020: Added a webinar series
focused on creating a healthy
learning environment.
2021: Hosted additional webinars
on ventilation in schools and the
importance of monitoring IAQ in
schools.
¦ RESULTS
Developed a three-part
webinar series to address
the specific areas interested
parties in the network have
committed to actively address
to achieve dramatic results in
health, academic and building
performance.
Developed a 10-part webinar
series to provide robust
foundational technical knowledge
to start, improve or sustain an
IAQ management program.
¦ Developed 16 webinars on the
foundational technical knowledge
to build capacity to take
immediate action.
¦ Develop a webinar series focused
on sustaining healthy learning
environments.
¦ All webinars are offered both live
and on-demand to accommodate
those who cannot join in real time.
Capacity Building Through Effective
Meaningful Engagement
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
2003 Public Involvement Policy
Superfund Community Involvement Handbook
Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE)
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model
Making a Visible Difference in Communities
Environmental Justice Primer for Ports
EPA Office of Community Revitalization
EJ Collaborative Problem-Solving Grants (EJ CPS)
&EPA
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