FAQs
It is important that decisions on the behalf of communities represent the views and preferences of these communities. Understanding the views and preferences of Manningham’s communities is only possible through quality engagement.
Elected Councillors are voted in to represent our communities. Elected members and Council staff, therefore, need to listen to residents if they want to genuinely speak on their behalf and act in their best interests.
Surveys: a tool designed to collect information and analyse opinions, preferences, behaviour, etc., by asking people questions.
Community information pop ins: these are short in-person engagement opportunities in a specific public space to interact with residents (inform and seek feedback, ideas and preferences about a particular project or topic). Conversations tend to be more one-on-one, casual, and unstructured, and the participants are whomever is present at the time and want to interact.
Focus groups and workshops: These engagement approaches can last from a couple of hours to a full day. Conversations are more targeted and structured and only invited participants can contribute.
Community/citizen panels: A community or citizen panel is a large group of (usually) randomly selected individuals representing the diversity of a community. They are brought together for several days to deliberate on a particular topic (the remit) and make informed recommendations at the end of the process.
What is community engagement?
Community engagement is a planned process that involves working with groups of people to seek input and ideas to make decisions. Community engagement is a part of public participation which is about making sure the public is involved in political decision-making processes.
Why is Community Engagement important?
What is our Community Engagement Framework?
We are committed to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) spectrum as our community engagement framework.
What are some of the ways we do community engagement?
There are a range of ways we engage with community members on projects, initiatives and programs. Some examples include: