Touch... Pause... ENGAGE
Following an extended sabbatical from the laborious process of forced blogging, I am officially back! The silver lining behind weekly blogging is definitely that for me it indicates the final practical block of my Occupational Therapy Degree, and so, without any further time wasting I welcome you to join in the journey of what has been promised to quite certainly be “the best block ever.”
So, what exactly is this “Community Engagement???”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines community engagement as:
“...the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people It is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices” (Committee, 2011)
The center for Economic and Community Development looks to simplify this definition further by stating
“…community engagement seeks to better ENGAGE the COMMUNITY to achieve LONG-TERM and SUSTAINABLE outcomes, processes, relationships, discourse, decision-making, or implementation.” (Center for Economic and Community Development, 2017)
Although not walking in completely ignorant and backed with the insight from the handovers gained from previous blocks, as to some of the barriers and difficulties we may face. It was still with this attitude of “community engagement” that I approached our first day.
Ok…
Side bar…
Confession time… honestly perhaps slightly daunted by not having the psychological security of a four-walled clinic with semi up-to-date medical files and a number of possible translators on hand.
Community requires us to do exactly that, get out there and apply our skills through working and engaging with the community.
Enter day one… As we have been told that this block becomes extremely busy, first port of call was to create an amazing timetable on which we could not only record all our engagements but also count down the days to the slightly exciting matter of the end of our university based education! #fornow Also known as any excuse for the stationary junkie in me to write, mark and decorate with every highlighter known to mankind.
Now everyone knows that creating a timetable ensures your day is already greatly successful. Onwards and to what we thought was upwards… Only for, as marathon runs call it us to “hit the wall.”
Wow, week one and reality hit! Within such a short time we witnessed how scarcely sustainable our engagement and upliftment projects are. With the previous block of students having barely left the community, yet without them little of what was implemented was continuing. We came face to face with dependency that we have possibly created by being what we perceive to be enthusiastic students who are here to make this big difference. We were met with hostility by a member in the health professions community who we saw as an ally and vital source of knowledge on the community. Many rejected calls and unsuccessful home visits later all the excitement of the first week has become slightly tainted.
This week has left me to wonder…
Are we spreading ourselves to thin and trying to achieve the impossible when possibly the biggest changes and impactful moments are sitting right under our noses or do we simply keep plugging away hoping that one day someday it will all change.
These are questions I hope to better answer over the course of the next 6 weeks to allow for deeper, more community focused engagement.
C
xxx
Center for Economic and Community Development. (2017). What is Community Engagement? Retrieved September 8, 2017, from http://aese.psu.edu/research/centers/cecd/engagement-toolbox/engagement/what-is-community-engagement
Committee, C. and T. S. A. (CTSA) C. C. E. K. F. (2011). Principles of Community Engagement. NIH Publication No. 11-7782, http: ⁄⁄www.cdc.gov/ phppo/pce/. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.04.014
