Community Engagement for Cooperative Extension: What is Community Engagement?

Abstract

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention defines community engagement as, “the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people." Community engagement addresses the core concerns of residents and stakeholders by engaging them in a process of initiating, drafting, and implementing community-based programs. Community engagement guides collaboration and communication among organizations, stakeholders, and the public to create sustainable community-driven change2 Some community-based programs may seek to solve a specific problem, others may involve policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes.