Here's a global panel discussion you mustn't miss!
28 January is Global #CommunityEngagement Day.
This year, it will be on a Sunday.
And, due to the different time zones, this panel discussion will be live towards the end of #GlobalCommunityEngagementDay for some, at the very beginning for others, and 'the night before' for me...it will inspire many to participate if their Day is still to come!
I started working in 'community engagement' before I even knew what it was.
In my work, I just instinctively started involving people & communities in solving problems, tackling complex issues, and in key decisions that were important to them & affected their lives...
...because it seemed to 'work' in getting results...lasting solutions...sustainable success!
And it was fun!
These days, I understand more of the science & art of community engagement - sometimes called other things over the years, like 'Citizen Involvement' (note emphasis on the individual not the community) and 'Civic Engagement' (note emphasis on the institutional term 'Civic') and '#StakeholderEngagement' (corporate!) - and what is also now increasingly referred to as 'deliberative & participative democracy'.
When Becky Hirst FRSA & Andrew Coulson from the wonderful, mutually supportive, peer network Engage2Act (I still live their mantra "go where the energy is"!) said they were launching Global Community Engagement Day several years ago, I enthusiastically embraced it...
...in a good, healthy way, and also in that Obsessive Compulsive way those who know me know I tend to 'enthusiastically embrace' things!
My relentless promotion of the launch, and my pretty intense involvement on the Day - going around my part of Sydney taking photos of every community gathering I could see, and Tweeting about Global Community Engagement Day, prompted Andrew & Becky to start Tweeting #BeLikePaul - which was hilarious!
Global Community Engagement Day has widened & deepened year-on-year, extending to more countries, and this global panel - also including Emma Broomfield in Australia & Dr Wendy Sarkissian in Canada - is another great evolution.
I'm especially pleased this year because the theme is one very dear to my own heart (& mind & soul!) - #MentalHealth, including the #MentalWellbeing, #PsychologicalWellbeing & #PsychologicalSafety of those working in Community Engagement, which can be 'a tough gig', including sometimes working alone but with great peer networks to support.
I will bring to the panel my personal & professional experience - as someone living with mental illness for 20 years; as a coach & counsellor who's worked in mental health - and #SuicidePrevention - for many years; and as a consultant & facilitator who's worked in #ParticipatoryResearch & community engagement for 40 years - 2024 is my 40th Anniversary!
You can register here:
https://lnkd.in/e7fV2c8f
#research #connection #connected
Facilities Manager at Newell Brands specializing in Maintenance and Repair
1moWould love to have a ‘bring your dog to work day’. 😁