March 25th – “Community Engagement: Yes you can!” conversation led by Dani Hess of the City of Bozeman and Tanya Andreasen of the One Valley Community Foundation
Description: Description: Yes, "engagement" is a buzz word in our communities right now, but why bother? Our organizations are tackling tough issues and heavy workloads with limited resources. The stakes are high as we seek to build trust, foster inclusivity, and adapt to changing conditions in our community. How can engagement actually benefit your organization and better serve our community?
This session will answer this “question” for nonprofits by outlining the basic principles and benefits of community engagement. We’ll walk through strategies for intentional stakeholder outreach, and some simple tools and techniques for meaningful and effective community engagement.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the "Why" behind engagement as well as describe the basic guiding principles and key terms.
dentify strategies for stakeholder mapping, choosing the right engagement techniques, and closing the loop with those who provided input
Practice a few useful and easy tools for engagement that can make engagement feel more "doable" when there is limited time and resources
Speaker Bios: Dani Hess: In her role at the City of Bozeman, Community Engagement Coordinator Dani Hess helps people stay informed and actively participate in their neighborhoods and in city projects. She supports Neighborhood Associations, facilitates collaborative projects with partners like Montana State University, and works to assist staff in outreach and reduce barriers to participation in city projects. Dani also works to address equity and inclusion in Bozeman with a team of staff and community partners to develop the City's first Equity & Inclusion plan. Dani is An MSU graduate in Community Health, learner of Spanish, lover of bicycles, and drinking coffee outside.
Tanya Andreasen: Tanya grew up in Montana, and after many years of living and working in Alaska and Wyoming, has put down a tap root in the Gallatin Valley to raise her two kids. A big believer in the power of neighbors helping neighbors through partnership and discourse, Tanya fills the role of Community Engagement Manager with the technical skills of a certified public engagement specialist and a Master of Public Administration from Montana State University. She puts those beliefs and skills to work throughout Gallatin County by crafting inclusive and effective opportunities for people to participate in decision making that impacts their own lives.
*If you would like accommodations to make this program accessible, please contact Jill Ellwood at jill@onevalley.org*