Our approach
"...a refreshing way of taking an issue to the community but putting them in the driving seat" Abdul Mulla, Blackburn with Darwen Healthy Living
There is no blueprint for community engagement. No process is the same. Instead, we design each project to ensure its goals, the needs of the participants and those of the policy or decision-makers are all met.
We don't just extract information - our approach aims to ensure that people from a diversity of backgrounds work together to hear and challenge each others opinions, to attempt to work out things collectively, to try and understand the positions of others and to reach a conclusion for the greater public good - this is deliberation to bring about self-confidence and improved mental wellbeing in our citizens and motivation to be involved in achieving change. This needs to be done whether you work in education, housing, criminal justice or health.
We also provide high quality training to facilitate the delivery of community engagement processes that lead to empowered communities and informed decision-making within corporate governance structures.
Our Life can deliver:
- End-to-end public participation processes
- Public participation training to build local capacity
- Research and social value analysis
- Campaigns, advocacy, PR activity
Our skill is in:
- Giving people the confidence and skills they need to work together effectively
- Using techniques that give greater insight into complex issues
- Creating the space and time for people to form a shared view
- Supporting citizens to lead their own initiatives and campaigns for change
- Creating a dialogue and building trust between local citizens and decision-makers
If you need to make a case for why you should use deliberative community engagement, have a look at our methods. The techniques and training methods we use are well-developed processes, culturally sensitive and appropriate to engage individuals and communities from all walks of life.
If you're not sure which approach will suit your needs and help you achieve your aims, please see our case studies for examples of our work, or alternatively, contact us for an informal discussion on 0161 233 7500 or email info@ourlife.org.uk for more information.
