Engaging the Public for River Sustainability

Civic Engagement – A Definition Civic engagement engenders collective action to identify and address issues of public concern, instilling a sense of personal responsibility to uphold obligations as part of a community.

Civic Engagement is not… Consensus-building Collaboration Communication or Public advocacy Rather it collects from and uses all these forms of engagement.

The Need For A Constituency Overarching Question – Who do you represent?

Seven Principles of Civic Engagement Careful planning & preparation Inclusion & demographic diversity Collaboration & shared purpose Openness & learning Transparency & trust Impact & action Sustained engagement & participatory culture

Careful Planning and Preparation Inclusive oversight Data and science Factual and values framework Common lexicon

Role of Careful Planning and Preparation Information authentication Trust Informed discussion

Inclusion & Demographic Diversity  Representation of diverse opinion as much as ethnic or geographic Important for voices in the room Varying perspectives make new ideas Legitimizes outcomes

Inclusion & Demographic Diversity  How does this apply to public policy for rivers and their communities?  Discussion

Collaboration & Shared Purpose Useful in complex, multi-party issues Process to obtain goals that cannot be reached by one single agent Based on principles of local participation and ownership Goal – jointly develop and agree on common objectives and directions Share responsibility Work for the achievement of the agreed-upon items

Collaboration & Shared Purpose How does this apply to public policy for rivers and their communities? Discussion

Shared Purpose – Attitude to Action Continuum

Collaboration & Shared Purpose Important in today’s interconnected society where issues affect diverse groups with different interests and perspectives Allows future orientation Leverages resources Fosters exploration of joint gains and integrative solutions Permits stakeholders to deal with interrelated issues in a single forum Shared risk builds trust and minimizes turf issues Avoids duplication

Collaboration & Shared Purpose How does this apply to public policy for rivers and their communities? Discussion

Openness & Learning Mindset allows purposeful collaboration Fosters new ideas Fosters trust by allowing questioning Allows individual and group evaluation for on-the-ground solution/evaluation

Openness & Learning  How does this apply to public policy for rivers and their communities?  Discussion

Transparency & Trust Role of neutral convener/process in building trust Fairly refereed game vs. unfairly refereed game Openness and its relationship to a participant’s willingness to contribute

Transparency & Trust How does this apply to public policy for rivers and their communities? Discussion

Impact & Action Concrete goal setting Agreed-upon measurement Public policy – agenda, constituency, strategy Who do you represent?

Sustained Engagement & Participatory Culture Theo Brown AmericaSpeaks