The community knows more about the place than you do. Involve them in the project.
The most important thing in this step is to create a participant base. It should represent the different cultures and subcultures observed in step one and confirmed by other data sources, such as social media mapping and academic bases.
Once you have developed a basic understanding of the place, know many people by name and have even picked up on some local language vices, it’s time for the most important and laborious part: engaging everyone in the project.
As with almost everything in this guide, there is no right or wrong, but there are several ways to perform certain steps. We choose to share the methodologies, which have proven to be the most efficient in our years of consulting. We do not intend to create any judgment about the many other existing approaches.
It takes a lot of effort to explain how important it is for people to participate in the process. At this point, clear and relevant explanatory materials designed for the local reality are essential.
Remember that more than qualified insights, we seek to start a movement to strengthen a sense of belonging essential to any place. The sooner and the more people get involved, the greater the belonging and the chances of these people becoming advocates of something they helped to build.
That’s why, at Bloom Consulting, we have the habit of starting engagement activities even before the project itself. A kind of “movement” for a better place. Even when working with the private sector in planned communities, for example. No successful project will ignore its connection with the city, the surroundings and the community.
Engaging people is a commitment. If you, an entrepreneur or public power, have doubts about the project’s viability, think twice before going out promising the world and funds to the local community. The only thing worse than not involving them is ignoring everything that was discussed. It is often said that a person only feels engaged if they know that their opinion is heard, even if it is not implemented. So, transparency in the process is also important.
Remember:
- Always create user-friendly engagement platforms suited to the local reality. A good speaker is often more efficient than a super sophisticated app.
- When you want to give up, you will! Think – this process is responsible for the legitimacy and authenticity of the project. Without it, you are just another someone who does things according to what “you think”. And that, most of the time, doesn’t sell or create a political legacy. Even worse, it doesn’t change people’s lives at all.
