Community Engagement

Wellbeing
Sectors	Wellbeing
Contact	Wilfred Pinfold
Topics	Age-Inclusive Communities Community Engagement Economic Development Education and Training Measurement Mental Health Physical Health Quality of Life
Activities Hello Lamp Post UBC Campus Initially launched as a pilot project, Hello UBC was designed to innovatively engage students and staff on campus, to support the parking and access services team. Their goal was to communicate key messages and gain insights into the behaviours of commuters and visitors around campus. LinkNYC LinkNYC is a first-of-its-kind communications network that will bring the fastest available municipal Wi-Fi to millions of New Yorkers, small businesses, and visitors. The five-borough LinkNYC network, which will be funded through advertising revenues, will be built at no cost to taxpayers and will generate more than $500 million in revenue for the City over the first 12 years. Lutece Lutece is an open source platform developed by the City of Paris to help you develop digital solutions. Honed for cities’ use through almost 20 years of development, Lutece has evolved into multifaceted platform with more than 400 plugins and modular architecture that will enable your specific needs and enhance your users' digital experience. Personalized Dashboard for the Residents YoGov and the City of San Leandro partnered to create an Amazon-like dashboard for city residents, helping residents quickly and easily find services most relevant to them. The dashboard also promotes city services, events, and news that are important to the city. Saitama City Smart Community Project We developed a Smart Community Information Platform (SCIP) for achieving security and privacy management of smart city data and providing smart city data services considering time-, privacy-, and location- critical problems. We are implementing the information platform for providing smart town services for 32,000 residents in 230-hectare area of Misono Town, Saitama City as a testing site of SCIP. Smart Beyoğlu: Digital Recollection of Beyoğlu Smart Beyoğlu is a mobile application project which provides fast access to all transactions related to the municipality and solutions for the citizens and business owners in Beyoğlu. Local and foreign tourists can get a lot of information such as details, location of business, hotels, restaurants etc., historical buildings and cultural events. It is a mobile app project that allows them to set up a network. Smart Neighborhoods Full incorporation of digital technology into all aspects of city life – creation of Smart Cities – is fast becoming a best practice for urban reality. However, a large percentage of low-income residents in Oakland (and everywhere) remain digitally disconnected. Therefore, Digital Inclusion must be central to Smart City Initiatives because Smart Cities require residents to be digitally connected and empowered. Smartphone-based technology that connects agencies with private contractors during snow emergencies Based on an Uber-like concept, this technology connects local governments and private contractors to help fight snow storm emergencies on short notice. Throughout the process, agencies maintain full command and control capabilities, and reporting transparency for contractors. Taoyuan Mobile Citizen Card In respond to the needs of mobile payment and the popularization of mobile devices, Taoyuan City Government works with telecom companies and e-ticket companies to integrate the citizen card into the sim card of a mobile phone so that citizens are allowed to enjoy all the functions and service of a citizen card on their phone such as borrowing books, taking trains/metros/buses, renting Ubikes, purchasing at a convenience store, accumulating bonuses, etc., and getting special discounts at certain stores. Citizens are thus given more options in ways to use their citizen cards. Taoyuan citizen card In respond to the rapid growth of Taoyuan’s population, the upgrading of government service, the development of industries, and the popularization of urban infrastructure, the card intends to connect the government, businesses, and citizens and integrate service. Business resources are also integrated to create a win-win collaborative model for citizens, businesses, and the government.

Authors

Community engagement refers to the process of involving and working with members of a community to address issues and make decisions that affect the community.

This can include activities such as community meetings, surveys, focus groups, and other forms of outreach and participation. The goal of community engagement is to involve community members in the decision-making process and to build trust and collaboration between community members and organizations or government agencies that serve the community. Community engagement can be used in a variety of contexts, such as urban planning, public health, and community development.

There are several strategies that can be used to encourage community engagement:

• Communicate effectively: Clear and consistent communication is key to building trust and encouraging participation. Use multiple channels, such as social media, community meetings, and newsletters, to reach a wide range of community members.
• Make it easy to participate: Reduce barriers to participation by providing transportation, child care, and interpretation services. Make sure meetings and events are scheduled at times that are convenient for community members.
• Listen and respond: Show that you value community input by actively listening to community members and responding to their concerns and ideas.
• Be transparent: Share information about the process and decisions being made, and be open to feedback and constructive criticism.
• Create opportunities for leadership: Encourage community members to take leadership roles in the engagement process. This can help build ownership and investment in the outcome.
• Be inclusive: Make sure to involve a diverse range of community members, including those who may be marginalized or underrepresented.

Recognize and reward participation: Acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of community members to the engagement process.

Follow through: Ensure that community input is used to inform decisions and actions. Communicate the outcome and impact of the engagement process to the community.

It's important to note that community engagement is a continuous process, not a one-time event. By fostering an ongoing dialogue with community members, organizations can build trust and create lasting partnerships that benefit the entire community.

Data sovereignty is the concept that individuals and communities have the right to control and govern their own data. This can include personal data, as well as data collected about a community or group. When data sovereignty is upheld, individuals and communities have more control over how their data is collected, used, and shared.

• Enhancing civic engagement: By giving citizens agency over their data, data sovereignty can empower them to be more active and engaged participants in the democratic process. For example, data sovereignty can enable citizens to have a greater say in how data is collected and used by government agencies, and to hold those agencies accountable for protecting their data privacy.
• Giving citizens agency: Data sovereignty can also give citizens more agency over their personal data, by allowing them to control who can access it and how it is used. This can help to prevent discrimination and protect vulnerable populations from exploitation.

When citizens have agency over their data, they can also make more informed decisions about how to use their data to improve their lives and the lives of their communities. It can also help to build trust between citizens and government agencies, as they are more likely to feel that their data is being used in ways that benefit them.

It's important to note that data sovereignty is not only relevant to government agencies and organizations, but also to private companies and organizations who process and handle personal data of citizens.

In summary, data sovereignty can enhance civic engagement by giving citizens more control over their data and empowering them to be more active and engaged participants in the democratic process. This can also give citizens more agency over their personal data, allowing them to make more informed decisions about how it is used and helping to build trust between citizens and organizations.