Commitment to Inclusive Community Engagement
A successful collaboration requires several commitments on your part. By submitting a request, you are agreeing to
- Respect residents and their time.
- Establish and communicate clear expectations for residents about details of their participation, which could involve a broad range of activities from receiving information, to generating ideas for a new program, being part of a focus group, or co-leading a working group. Participants should understand what they can expect, and what the desired result will be. For more information about types of engagement, please see A Framework for Inclusive Community Engagement in Fairfax County.
- Ensure your initiative is beneficial by tying it to the priorities expressed by residents, or by linking it to county-wide initiatives.
- Keep residents informed of progress and results throughout your engagement through sharing notes and findings or providing regular updates.
- Capture the voices of residents in traditionally marginalized communities of Fairfax County in a way that respects and considers their history, culture, and trauma.
Background and Context
Please consider each of the following questions about your initiative. Those marked with an asterisk (*) indicate questions that you must answer to submit your request.
- *Which Opportunity Neighborhood site(s) best align with your initiative?
- *Can you state why your initiative is worth participants’ time and effort?
- How does your planned initiative align with or improve on other initiatives ON residents may have supported to “move the needle”?
- What are best practices related to your issue or initiative, and who are the local subject matter experts that can advise you? Are there established coalitions or groups with whom you could connect and partner, rather than creating a new coalition, initiative, or event?
- *What is the expected time commitment for residents who participate?
- How will you keep participants informed throughout the process, including reporting back on the outcomes of the initiative?
Making Engagement Inclusive
Many residents face barriers that prevent them from fully participating in engagement opportunities. Providing residents with a package of resources to address common barriers will help ensure they can share their knowledge and input in a meaningful way. These resources should be arranged and funded by the organizer of the event or initiative.
The resource package may include items of monetary value (e.g., gift cards, stipends, vouchers, tech devices, etc.), as well as non-monetary perks (e.g., professional development or networking opportunities, childcare, refreshments, etc.). As you develop your resource package, please consider how you will address any challenges related to the following factors that may affect participation.
- Location and transportation
- Digital access
- ADA accessibility
- Clear communication using plain language
- Translation and/or interpretation
- Literacy in English and native language for non-English speakers
- Population and cultural considerations
- Childcare and food
- Valuing residents' time, knowledge and lived experience
