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Caroline Bouten Pinto Sandra Bennett - 14 - Partners in Cultural Competence from Caroline Bouten Pinto and Sandra Bennett Community Engagement: bridging cultures Community engagement and consultation are high on the agendas of many government departments and large corporations. These agencies realise that to serve their clients and communities, best practice requires frequent and effective community consultation. Before you embark on any type of community engagement process, it is important to be very clear why you are engaging with the community. Is it because you want to provide information? Is it because you want to gather information and share ideas? Is it because you want to include community perspectives in decision-making? Are you seeking community participation? Or is it a combination of all of the above. Being clear about this is incredibly important, as it will influence the overall strategy and success of the community engagement process. Any engagement is influenced by a number of assumptions we inherently tend to make as we take on such processes. For example: ◊ the community wants to engage ◊ the community conceptually understands what we want to engage them around ◊ the community understands us and the context in which we operate ◊ and we understand the community and the context in which they operate. For example, knowing the cultural context of your own organisation is as important as knowing the cultural context of each community. Take the time to explore, articulate and communicate the underlying values, beliefs and practices of all parties. In Western society and developed countries, organisations operate with a major emphasis on compliance, documentation, task completion, timing and quantitative outcomes. Yet ‘grass roots communities’, whether ethnic, indigenous or mainstream, will be valuing connection, relationships and qualitative outcomes. The polarisation of these perspectives can often lead to confusion, frustration and the breakdown of relationships in the engagement process. As communities are diverse in make-up, perspectives and opinions, making these assumptions without checking them out can have real consequences for the quality of engagement with any community. Thus the biggest challenges in community engagement lie in being inclusive and being able to recognise, acknowledge and draw on community diversity as a resource. Being able to do this effectively requires us to prepare and reflect on these assumptions before we even begin to engage. But we cannot do this preparation and reflection in isolation. For example, how can we really understand a community and the context in which they operate if we have never paid attention or interacted with members of this community? Also, how do we go about ensuring that a community understands us and the context in which we operate. True community engagement starts long before issues need to be consulted on or strategies need to be approved. It starts with the development of relationships and trust. So how do we go about that? This is where Culturewise Practice® may help. This community engagement strategy enables you to embark on a process that connects you and the community in more meaningful ways. The Culturewise Practice approach is action-research based and engages individuals and groups to consider each other’s perspectives and world views, focus on possibilities and, through engaging in creative processes, the development of shared outcomes. Rather than focus on contentious issues this process is about inclusion and possibilities. As building relationships with communities begins with being interested and showing a sense of respectful curiosity, it continues with engaging in Culturewise Practice and developing knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviours in the following three domains: ◊ Awareness: seeing beyond your own cultural interpretations ◊ Communication: using creative ways to reflect, explore and ask questions ◊ Leadership: taking personal responsibility, to guide people and processes into inclusive engagements. Through this process, everyone has the opportunity to: • understand they are a key player in what is created during interactions • develop the skills and knowledge to explore theirs and others’ perspectives • take responsibility for moving beyond the limitations of their own perspectives • explore with others, possibilities for meaningful outcomes. It is a process that has application beyond the intercultural field. It has been successfully trialed in professional and personal conflict resolution; organizational culture change; customer service; team building; diversity leadership and community consultation. For more information on this contact Caroline Pinto or Sandra Bennett at ECCQ’s training unit, Partners in Cultural Competence (PiCC) on 3844 9166 or email: training@eccq.com.au. Caroline Bouten Pinto is Consulting Manager of Partners in Cultural Competence Sandra Bennett is the PiCC Client Liaison Manager Evoca: Issue 157 - February/March 2011
- 15 - PiCC Program Your one-stop-shop for cross-cultural training and diversity management solutions 30 Mar ; 16 Jun (MORNING) Working with Professional Interpreters This three and half-hour workshop, provides a comprehensive introduction to working successfully with professional interpreters. It is ideal for those who must use professional interpreters in their dayto-day work. This program is targeted to all levels of government, organisations and businesses. From 9am to 12.30pm 30 Mar ; 16 Jun (AFTERNOON) Communicating Effectively with Non-fluent English Speakers This three and half hour workshop provides participants with insights, understanding and skills to communicate more effectively with non-fluent English speakers in day-to-day interactions where the use of formal interpreters is not required. From 1pm to 4.30pm WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Anyone who works and/or interacts on a regular basis with individuals from 29 Mar ; 15 Jun Providing Culturally Responsive Service This one-day workshop provides participants with insights, knowledge and skills to interact more effectively with a culturally diverse public WHO SHOULD ATTEND? - All staff who provide client services or 22 Mar ; 7 Jun Culture and Conflict Resolution This one-day workshop provides participants with an overview of the interaction of culture and conflict and gives practical techniques on how to constructively engage with disputes in a culturally diverse context. WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Anyone who works or interacts with people from culturally diverse backgrounds 23 Mar ; 8 Jun Culturewise Practice This one day workshop introduces you to the latest approach in developing cultural competence. It shows you how to expand your perspective and develop your capabilities to engage in meaningful ways with others. 24 Mar ; 9 Jun Diversity Leadership This one-day program provides participants with the insights and skills to move self and others from an awareness of diversity to engagement in creative processes that result in effective and meaningful out- To register please contact: Ms Hedy Sri Munaswati on 3844 9166 or Email: training@eccq.com.au Half-day fees: One-day fees: $ 40 per person (+GST) $ 75 per person (+GST) VENUE: West End Qld 4101 areas. Details in registration. Website at www.picc.org.au “An initiative of the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland” Evoca: Issue 157 - February/March 2011
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