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Revised (Dec 15 2009)
Levels of engagement
Level one: inform
Public information campaigns are the most common level of community involvement used by business and government. They are used to provide information about an issue or action being taken and persuade the public towards a certain position.
Level two: consult
Public input is actively sought and input is genuinely considered in the decision-making process. In many cases, the consultation focuses on asking the public to evaluate and provide input on specific alternatives (e.g., to choose option A, B, or C).
Decisions are ultimately made by the board and the board explains how public input affected the final decision. A key advantage of this level of public involvement is the large number of people who can be involved in the process.
Level three: collaborate
The public is involved in all stages of the decision-making process–from problem definition to recommendations. The goal at this level is consensus; however, it is not required. When consensus is not reached, information is shared about where consensus was and was not reached, what decision was made and why. While this approach is an excellent way to build understanding, it works best when the number of people involved is limited to a manageable group.
Level four: participatory democracy
This type of involvement empowers the public to make the decision. It is used most often when the decision-makers (the public) will bear both the cost and the benefit of the decision. For example, local governments sometimes ask taxpayers if they are willing to increase their taxes to pay for a new facility such as an ice rink. Though seldom used, boards do have the power under the School Act to hold a referendum to raise additional taxes for specified uses.
A public involvement campaign can be as simple as school trustees meeting informally with citizens over coffee or as complex as a series of formal community forums held over several months.
What will be most appropriate depends on the community, the scope of the issue and the level of emotion surrounding it. While a large community like the City of Vancouver may require a comprehensive campaign to ensure broad involvement, a small community of, say, 2,000 people can often be successful with more informal methods.
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Community Engagement
