Section 7. Engaging People Most Affected by the Problem

Pennie Foster-Fishman, Michigan State University Community Psychology Professor Emeritus, delivers a keynote at the Saigh Symposium in St. Louis, Missouri. She speaks to the importance of gaining perspectives from community members – especially those being served.

 

Social or community problems, by their very definition, affect many people. Too often, however, people with formal authority, professional expertise, institutional resources, or political influence define both the problem and its possible solutions. People who are directly experiencing the issue may be left out of the processes of deciding what the problem really is, what contributes to it, what should change, and how success should be measured.

Why engage people affected by problems?

Let's say that you have a rock in your shoe. No one other than you can know exactly how that rock feels. Others may have read about rocks, seen rocks, or even had a similar experience with a pebble caught in a sandal. However, you have direct knowledge of this particular experience because you are the person living it.

The same concept applies to social and community problems. People who directly experience an issue often understand barriers, consequences, community strengths, and possible solutions in ways that are different from the perspectives of policymakers, researchers, service providers, or other professionals. Professional expertise and lived experience can both be valuable, but neither should automatically replace the other.

There are at least two important ways to engage people affected by a problem in addressing it. First, listen to them so that you better understand the causes of the problem, the barriers people encounter, the strengths and resources already present in the community, and their ideas for possible solutions. Second, create meaningful opportunities for people to participate in planning, decision-making, implementation, evaluation, advocacy, and leadership. Participation should be voluntary, and people should be able to choose the level and form of involvement that works for them. Listening is valuable even when someone does not want a formal role in the initiative.

How can people affected by the problem get engaged?

People can participate in many ways -- here are just a few:

• Participate in planning processes such as defining the problem, setting goals, developing strategies, or determining how progress will be measured
• Contribute money, supplies, connections, or other resources or help with fundraising when they choose to do so
• Volunteer in roles such as outreach, event support, communications, program activities, administration, or other work that fits their interests and availability
• Conduct or help shape research, collect community information, write or review grant proposals, develop communications, or document community experiences
• Attend public events such as community meetings, hearings, rallies, workshops, listening sessions, or fundraising events
• Serve on committees, working groups, advisory boards, or project teams
• Take leadership and decision-making roles in a community partnership
• Share lived experience, stories, or community knowledge when they choose to do so and when appropriate privacy and consent protections are in place
• Help evaluate whether programs, policies, or strategies are actually working for the people they are intended to benefit

When examining a problem, perspectives from many people and sectors of the community can be valuable. For instance, a parent of a pregnant adolescent may have different needs and ideas from those of the adolescent herself, even though adolescent pregnancy affects both of them. Neither perspective should automatically substitute for the other. Unfortunately, people who directly experience a problem are still sometimes excluded from decision-making or invited only into limited roles after important decisions have already been made.

Who should you ask to participate?

People affected by the issue may differ in many ways, including socioeconomic background, race, ethnicity, culture, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, geography, immigration experience, family circumstances, and other lived experiences. It is important to create opportunities for meaningful participation that reflect the diversity of those affected.

Some of the most important participants are people with direct experience of the issue. For example, if you are working on a youth suicide prevention initiative, young people should have meaningful opportunities to contribute to the effort. Depending on the purpose and safeguards in place, the initiative may also benefit from perspectives of family members, friends, survivors of suicide attempts, and others who have been directly affected.

Take intentional steps to involve people and communities whose perspectives are often overlooked or excluded from decision-making. This may include people experiencing economic hardship, people with disabilities, rural residents, immigrants and refugees, people who speak languages other than English, people who have experienced discrimination, or others who face barriers to participation.

Participation may be especially difficult when an issue involves trauma, stigma, safety concerns, legal risks, immigration concerns, health information, or other sensitive experiences. People should not have to publicly disclose personal experiences in order to have a voice. Offer multiple ways to participate, protect confidentiality where appropriate, and avoid asking people to repeatedly retell painful experiences simply to establish their credibility.

There are several ways to connect with people affected by an issue. These approaches can help whether you're inviting participation in listening sessions, committees, planning groups, organizing, advocacy, evaluation, or other forms of community action:

• Every community is different, so learn directly from community members about where people work, socialize, volunteer, receive services, shop, access information, learn, worship, gather, and connect with one another.
• People may already participate in agency boards, advisory committees, neighborhood councils, community organizations, advocacy networks, mutual-aid groups, social movements, cultural organizations, faith communities, or neighborhood improvement associations.
• Local government offices, libraries, community foundations, chambers of commerce, nonprofit organizations, health and human service agencies, neighborhood groups, faith communities, cultural organizations, schools, and other community partners may help you identify existing groups and networks. Don't rely only on large or well-established institutions; informal networks may also be important.
• Public meetings, forums, and community events can help you connect with people who aren't already involved in formal organizations. Hold activities at times and locations that are practical for the people you hope to involve, provide accessible and language-appropriate information, and use facilitation methods that give everyone a reasonable opportunity to participate. Large groups may require breakout sessions, small-group discussions, multiple facilitators, online participation, or other formats rather than relying on a single fixed group-size rule.
• Listening sessions are designed specifically to help community members describe the issues, priorities, strengths, and concerns that matter to them. A public forum or listening session can demonstrate that community perspectives matter, but only if organizers listen seriously, communicate what they learned, and explain how community input will affect decisions.

What are some potential obstacles to participation?

It is easy to blame low participation on apathy or lack of motivation, especially when you're frustrated. You may find yourself thinking that parents don't care about their family's health or that young people don't care about violence in their schools or neighborhoods. In reality, people often face practical, institutional, social, or historical barriers that make participation difficult.

Before asking why people aren't participating, examine whether the way your organization is structured makes participation realistic and worthwhile.

People who are new to a particular organization may also need orientation to its processes, terminology, decision-making structure, or meeting practices. This doesn't mean they lack the skills to participate. Longtime members may be just as unfamiliar with another community's communication style or experience. Make expectations clear for everyone, explain unfamiliar processes, and provide facilitation, mentoring, training, or other support when it would help people contribute effectively.

Before trying to engage people, ask yourself what obstacles may inhibit participation among those affected by the problem.

• Preconceptions and attitudes within your organization: Are you making assumptions such as, "Working parents are too busy to participate," "young people aren't interested," or "people in this neighborhood don't come to meetings"? Examine these beliefs. Ask people directly what would make participation possible rather than deciding in advance what they will or will not do.
• Inadequate community communication: People may simply be unaware of opportunities to participate or may not receive information through the channels you're using. Ask community partners how people prefer to receive information, and communicate through several appropriate channels when necessary.
• Unclear or unfamiliar processes: People may hesitate to participate if they don't know what will happen, what their role will be, who makes decisions, or whether their contribution will matter. Explain expectations, decision-making authority, time commitments, and available support clearly.
• History of exclusion or token participation: Some people may have been ignored in the past or included only after decisions were already made. If community members expect their input to be dismissed, asking them to participate again may reasonably be met with skepticism. Rebuilding trust requires more than another invitation; it requires demonstrating that their perspectives can actually influence the work.
• Leadership that is unwilling to share influence: Are leaders willing to change plans in response to community input? Are decisions already made before participation begins? Will community members have real influence or only advisory roles? Meaningful engagement requires clarity about what participants can actually affect.
• Systems that are difficult to navigate: Government, institutional, funding, and policy processes can be complicated and difficult to access. Provide clear information, interpretation, training, accompaniment, or other assistance so people don't have to become experts before they can participate.
• Lack of time: Work schedules, caregiving, school, health needs, and other responsibilities can limit participation. Offer different meeting times or participation formats when possible and avoid making activities longer than necessary.
• Lack of transportation: Choose locations that are familiar and reasonably accessible. When possible, provide transportation assistance, reimburse travel expenses, offer remote participation, or share clear information about public transportation and parking.
• Lack of child care or caregiving support: Child care costs and caregiving responsibilities can be significant barriers. When feasible, provide safe and appropriate child care, reimburse caregiving expenses, offer child-friendly participation options, or provide remote alternatives.
• Cost of participation: Transportation, parking, meals, unpaid time away from work, internet access, or other expenses may make participation difficult. Consider stipends, honoraria, reimbursement, meals, technology assistance, or other supports when resources allow, especially when asking community members to contribute substantial time or lived expertise.
• Language and accessibility barriers: Translation, interpretation, captions, accessible documents, sign-language interpretation, accessible meeting spaces, assistive technology compatibility, plain-language materials, and other accommodations may be necessary for meaningful participation.
• Safety, privacy, or stigma: Some people may risk discrimination, retaliation, unwanted disclosure, or emotional harm by participating publicly. Offer confidential or anonymous ways to contribute when appropriate and be clear about how personal information will be handled.
• Overcommitment: Don't build an initiative that depends on a few people continually doing more than is realistic. Share responsibilities, establish reasonable expectations, and recognize that people's availability may change.
• Group structure that makes participation difficult: Large meetings can work well for some purposes but may make discussion harder for others. Use breakout groups, small working teams, online participation, multiple facilitators, surveys, or other approaches so people have different ways to contribute.
• Poor coordination among existing groups: If several organizations are already working on the issue, look for ways to coordinate efforts and reduce unnecessary duplication without assuming that every organization should merge or give up its own priorities.
• History of unproductive meetings: People who have repeatedly attended meetings where nothing changed may reasonably question whether another meeting is worth their time. Explain what decisions are open, how input will be used, who is responsible for follow-up, and what participants can expect afterward.

Remember: Examine barriers with an open mind, ask people directly what gets in the way, and look for changes your organization can make rather than assuming the problem lies with the people who aren't participating.

How do you support community members in becoming and remaining engaged?

Learn from the people you hope to engage

People participate for different reasons and under different circumstances. Learn directly from community members about what matters to them, what makes participation worthwhile, what barriers they face, what forms of participation they prefer, and what would make the experience respectful and sustainable.

Understanding the physical, social, cultural, economic, and political environment can help your organization design better opportunities for participation. But don't rely only on imagining what another person's life must be like. Ask people about their experiences, listen to their answers, and involve them in designing the engagement process itself.

Recognize strengths

Every person brings a combination of talents, skills, knowledge, relationships, cultural experience, lived experience, beliefs, and values. Recognize these strengths rather than viewing people only through the problems they have experienced. Make room for individuals to identify the ways they would like to contribute and the skills they would like to develop.

Communities also have strengths, networks, leadership, organizations, traditions, and ways of solving problems that may already support collective action. Learn how people in the community organize, communicate, provide mutual support, make decisions, and get things done. Avoid assuming that a cultural or demographic group has one organizing style or that civic participation is unfamiliar to it.

Recognize different reasons for participation

Individuals have different reasons for becoming involved. Rather than assuming everyone has the same basic motivations, ask what makes participation meaningful to them.

People may value opportunities to:

• Contribute to an issue or community they care about
• Know that their knowledge, work, or lived experience is genuinely useful
• Have meaningful influence over decisions that affect them
• Gain information, skills, connections, or experience
• Build relationships and a sense of community
• Have their work and contributions acknowledged in ways that are meaningful to them

Build reciprocal relationships

Community engagement works best when relationships are not one-sided. Don't approach a community only when you need members, testimony, data, volunteers, or support. Learn about other concerns that matter to the people and organizations you're working with and look for genuine opportunities to collaborate, share information, offer resources, or support related work when doing so fits your mission and capacity.

Reciprocity should not be treated as a trade -- "support us now so we'll support you later." The goal is to build trustworthy relationships and recognize that community issues often overlap.

Recognize that groups are made up of individuals

People who share a neighborhood, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, gender identity, profession, income level, or other characteristic may still have very different experiences and views. Don't expect one person to represent an entire community. Create opportunities for a range of people to participate and recognize each person's perspective as their own unless they have been formally selected to represent an organization or constituency.

Invite people personally when appropriate

Personal invitations can help people understand why you believe their participation would be valuable and give them an opportunity to ask questions. You can invite people directly, ask trusted community partners to share an opportunity, or make information available through broader outreach.

A personal invitation should still leave room for the person to decline. Don't pressure employers, teachers, service providers, or others to recruit people who may feel obligated to participate because of the power relationship involved.

Match roles with interests, skills, experience, and development goals

Ask people what they enjoy doing, what experience they bring, what they would like to learn, and what kind of responsibility they want. Someone who enjoys public speaking may want to speak at meetings, while someone else may prefer research, writing, outreach, logistics, data analysis, facilitation, design, or another role. Don't assign roles based simply on whether someone seems outgoing, quiet, young, old, professional, or inexperienced.

Make participants feel welcome by listening to them and taking them seriously

When new participants arrive for their first meeting or activity, welcome them, explain how the group works, and make sure they know how to participate. Ask for their perspectives, but don't put someone on the spot as a spokesperson for a larger group. Give people meaningful opportunities to contribute rather than only minor tasks.

Active listening can help people understand one another, especially when experiences or opinions differ. Useful practices include asking clarifying questions, summarizing what you heard, allowing people to finish their thoughts, and checking that you understood correctly.

Seven Tips for Active Listening

1. Give the speaker your attention. Minimize distractions when possible and use forms of attention that are comfortable and appropriate for both people. Don't assume that eye contact is required for someone to be listening or engaged.
2. Pay attention to words, tone, context, and what the person explicitly tells you about how they feel. Nonverbal communication can provide context, but don't assume that a particular gesture, expression, or tone has one fixed meaning across people or cultures.
3. Be genuinely interested in what the other person is saying. Treat their experience as information worth understanding, not simply as something to respond to.
4. Restate or summarize important points when helpful. You might say, "It sounds like the biggest concern is..." and ask whether you've understood correctly.
5. Ask clarifying questions when you need more information instead of assuming what the person meant.
6. Be aware of your own reactions, assumptions, and strong opinions. During disagreement, avoid interrupting or preparing your response while the other person is still speaking.
7. Respond honestly after you have listened. Active listening doesn't require pretending to agree; it creates room for respectful two-way communication.

Show appreciation for each person's contributions

Let people know that their time, knowledge, work, and participation matter. Appreciation can take many forms: a direct thank-you, appropriate compensation or reimbursement, acknowledgement in a report, opportunities for leadership, a note of appreciation, a community celebration, or public recognition when the person wants it. Ask people how they prefer to be recognized rather than assuming that everyone wants certificates, publicity, or public attention.

Know yourself

It is equally important to understand yourself because your assumptions, priorities, communication style, role, and authority shape the engagement process. Ask yourself:

• What motivates me?
• Why am I participating?
• What do I want to achieve?
• What assumptions am I making about other people or communities?
• How willing am I to share information, influence, credit, and decision-making?
• What commitments can I realistically make and follow through on?

Remain organized

People are more likely to remain involved when they understand what is happening, what their responsibilities are, how decisions are made, and what comes next. Good organization also reduces the burden placed on community members who are contributing their time. Keep agendas, schedules, responsibilities, contact information, and follow-up clear, and make sure organizational systems are accessible to the people expected to use them.

Define and clarify the plans, goals, and purposes of the group early on

People should understand what the group is trying to accomplish and which decisions are genuinely open to their influence. Develop clear plans and realistic goals, but be prepared to revise them as community perspectives and new information emerge.

It is also useful to develop a practical timeline. If people see no progress -- or if the work moves so quickly that they cannot participate meaningfully -- they may lose confidence in the process. A timeline can help everyone understand what has been completed, what remains to be done, and when important decisions will occur.

Establish good communication within the group and among different groups

Community groups are more likely to share information, coordinate resources, and avoid unnecessary duplication when communication is consistent and accessible. Keep participants informed about decisions, progress, changes, and opportunities to provide input. Use more than one communication method when necessary so that important information does not depend on a single platform.

Use meeting time wisely

People value their time. Participation may compete with paid work, caregiving, school, transportation, health needs, family responsibilities, or rest. Meetings should have a clear purpose, useful agenda, appropriate facilitation, and a predictable end time whenever possible. Not every decision or update requires a meeting; email, shared documents, short calls, surveys, or other methods may sometimes work better.

Example:

Yuka's organizational meetings for volunteers at a local domestic violence hotline were thorough, but they tended to run long. Yuka believed it was important to cover every agenda item at the monthly meetings, and volunteers were expected to attend. More and more volunteers were dropping out, and Yuka didn't know why.

One day, Yuka ran into a former volunteer and asked what had made participation difficult. The volunteer explained that the unpredictable meeting length made child care expensive and difficult to arrange.

Yuka realized that the meeting structure itself was creating a barrier. She improved facilitation, established predictable meeting times, reconsidered which meetings truly required attendance, and arranged child-care support for volunteers who needed it. The changes made participation more realistic for caregivers and improved volunteer retention.

Above all, create a respectful and realistic environment

Hope and enthusiasm can help sustain community work, but participants should not be expected to remain positive when they have legitimate concerns or frustrations. Make room for disagreement, uncertainty, and criticism. A healthy group acknowledges challenges, learns from mistakes, celebrates progress, and gives people realistic reasons to believe that their participation matters.

In Summary

People directly affected by a community problem bring knowledge, experience, relationships, and perspectives that cannot be replaced by professional expertise alone. Meaningful engagement means more than inviting people to attend meetings or help carry out plans that others have already made. It means creating genuine opportunities to shape how problems are defined, how strategies are developed, how decisions are made, and how success is evaluated.

Organizations can support participation by listening carefully, sharing decision-making where possible, reducing practical and institutional barriers, respecting different levels of involvement, compensating or reimbursing community expertise when appropriate, creating accessible participation options, and following through on what they hear. The goal is not simply to "get people engaged." It is to build a process in which people affected by the issue can influence the work in ways that are meaningful, voluntary, and respectful.