Community Engagement

Why It’s Important

Engagement with the broader community can help inform local priorities and needs around diversity, equity, and inclusion. It can also build trust with residents who do not engage as regularly with the municipality. Residents sometimes do not know that municipalities do not have jurisdiction over every issue, but good dialogue can help government and residents work together on actionable steps for change.

In many cases, a municipality may hear from the same voices in the community. These residents have often attended many meetings, understand how their local government functions, and feel comfortable speaking up. However, other residents may not attend meetings or engage frequently or at all. This may be due to many factors, which include fear or distrust, busy family and work lives, limited access to municipal functions, or a lack of awareness about how to get involved.

Strategies

There are a few strategies that municipalities can use to better engage all residents. These include:

  • Leveraging Partnerships for Hosting Events: Sometimes community engagement works best when not hosted at municipal buildings. Residents may be more comfortable to attend events held or hosted in partnership with community groups, libraries, schools, or in different neighborhoods in the community. Appropriate meeting locations can be determined based on the intended audience or topic of the event.
  • Define a Scope for Community Events or Commissions: Many communities host events or establish commissions to encourage more engagement with the community. To encourage thoughtful and productive engagement, it can be helpful to keep the scope of these commissions and events narrow and clearly defined.
  • Use a Framework for Community Engagement: Some communities find it helpful to follow a framework for community engagement, such as a timeline or calendar of national heritage months to plan programming around. Frameworks can also be developed around locally-specific goals, such as the City of Aurora CHANGE Reform Initiative or the City of Naperville’s framework for Listening, Learning, and Leveraging/Action. Frameworks can help keep the community awareof ongoing progress and give the municipality structure and goals around engagement.

LEARN MORE — ARLINGTON HEIGHTS

Geneace Williams, JD, PhD
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Manager, City of Naperville
(630) 420-6190 | williamsg@naperville.il.us

Community Profile – City of Naperville

In February 2021, the City of Naperville welcomed its inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager, Dr. Geneace Williams. This position arose in response to a series of events in Naperville beginning in 2019, including a rise in community conversations around the City’s changing demographics; an update to the City Mission Statement; and a resolution celebrating the diversity of the community and denouncing all acts of racism, intolerance, and unlawful discrimination.

As Naperville’s demographics were changing to reflect a more diverse population, the City sought to intentionally engage with as many members of the community as possible. They recognized this as a critical step in shaping inclusive policies and procedures that support the City’s mission. To accomplish this goal, Dr. Williams created a framework of Listening, Learning, and Leveraging:

  • During the Listening phase, Dr. Williams hosted listening sessions with as many residents and organizations throughout Naperville as possible and asked these groups how they experience Naperville and whether they feel a sense of belonging and inclusion in the City.
  • The Learning phase assessed key takeaways from the information gathered from the broader community. During this phase, Naperville learned that many residents are excited about the City’s growing diversity and willing to help the City reach its goals. These insights helped the City identify specific priorities and begin to develop an internal and external plan to engage employees, community members and organizations in City objectives.
  • The Leveraging phase will advance DEI through partnerships with local organizations that create space for storytelling and difficult conversations within the community. As part of this phase, the City is already conducting talks on DEI-related topics to a myriad of community organizations and will partner with organizations to host events and activities that support the city’s mission.

Lessons Learned

  • It is important to hear the voices of many to get an understanding of the entire community. The more voices you hear and listen to, the broader your perspective becomes.
  • Listening is the longest phase. Taking the time to understand your organization and community’s unique situation will empower you to build upon what already exists. Don’t be afraid to take it slowly and methodically. Pursue the quick wins. Because this process takes time, it can be valuable to also look for the low hanging fruit: the tangible, immediate actions that you can take right away. Finding small wins helps maintain progress and momentum while you continue to listen, learn, and leverage.

Learn More

Geneace Williams, JD, PhD
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Manager
City of Naperville
williamsg@naperville.il.us
(630) 420-6190

Resources