Community Engagement 101

How have we consistently been able to engage and mobilize underserved communities in an ethical and responsible way? How do we build trust with suspicious audiences? What does community engagement really require, beyond being trauma-informed? People ask us all the time, “What makes your community engagement tactics different from others in public health? Clearly, they produce results. But how do you do it?” Of course, “how” is an important piece of the puzzle. But it’s important to understand the “why” before the “how.”