The World Health Organization (WHO) defines community engagement as “A process of developing relationships that enable stakeholders to work together to address health-related issues and promote well-being to achieve positive health impact and outcomes”.
On a broader level, it is defined as:
“A dynamic relational process that facilitates communication, interaction, involvement, and exchange between an organization and a community for a range of social and organizational outcomes”.
Johnston, K. A. (2018). Toward a theory of social engagement. In K. A. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds.), The Handbook of Communication Engagement (pp. 19-32). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
We engage with people from all walks of life, different races, religion, cultural background. For those who feel their voices are not being heard, we provide a platform for participation, collaboration, and involvement.
Collaboration with other statutory agencies and organisations within the VCSE (Voluntary, Community or Social Enterprise) sector is also a key part of our community engagement strategy.
Health and Wellbeing are at the forefront of our engagements.
These are some of the engagement activities we have carried out so far:
- Marriage and relationship – seminars (focus on the family)
- Outings that promote family values,
- Trip to the beach
- Park visits (especially to deprived families who will not ordinarily undertake such events)
- Establishment of a food bank
- Mental health drop in sessions
- Volunteering to support the homeless
- Community sessions to tackle isolation and loneliness
