Building Trust-Driven Models for Inclusive Community Engagement

Kimberly Miller, Director of Community Development, Girl Scouts of Gateway Council

Kimberly Miller, Director of Community Development, Girl Scouts of Gateway Council

Building Trust Through MultiLevel Engagement

Although I have extensive experience in community engagement, I was eager to challenge the bounds of engagement down to the parental level. I had the opportunity to talk to parents about their most precious gift, their little girl and help build lasting childhood memories. I was a Girl Scout in the very council where I serve. Having trusted messengers allowed my team to build parental engagement where many claimed they just weren’t interested. I work with low-income and time-restricted parents to deliver programming that is quintessential Girl Scouts. Engaging what many may call “disinterested parents” is possible, but it is a slow process, and we should be ready to jump in and help parents lead their children’s childhood memories.

This meaningful engagement should be supported at the civic level as well. Government leaders can and should provide many opportunities for engagement, including but not limited to short surveys with open narratives opportunities, accessible in-person and virtual meetings. I believe a quarterly engagement cadence will provide a solid schedule that your constituents can follow and anticipate opportunities.

Reaching Unheard Voices Through Community Partnerships

Community partners are critical to ensuring you hear all voices. As a legislative aide, we led our city’s first juvenile expungement workshop with SAO, JSO and community partners. Our governmental partners agreed to give up a Saturday to help the applicants to move beyond their troubled past. We shared the event widely by providing flyers to churches, temples and mosques. Public Libraries, bus station kiosks and we left no stone unturned. We didn’t pursue TV and radio because the individuals we were seeking to help didn’t receive information that way. Eventually, TV and Radio found us, and the program has been included for students successfully completely diversion programs.

“Government leaders must provide multiple, accessible opportunities for engagement, from short surveys with open narratives to in-person and virtual meetings.”

Designing Truly Inclusive Participation Systems

To better include shift workers and people with disabilities in public participation, it is important to reduce friction from participation. Providing a QR code to a short survey (fewer than five questions) allows audiences to participate using their phones instead of laptops or tablets, at any time of day. Providing results via social media also helps respondents see collective responses and strengthens their experience.

Leaders should recruit trusted voices in communities to raise awareness about engagement opportunities and create shortform, shareable content across social channels. They should meaningfully engage online with their constituents during working hours if possible.

Leaders must determine if they seek true engagement or perceived engagement. If you want true engagement, your team will be uncomfortable. Sometimes they will need to work non-traditional hours because your audience is also at work during normal working hours. I had a car dealer friend who once explained that he is successful because he is dialed in when everyone is out of work. If the standard is set at the outset, everyone is rowing in the same direction.