Onboarding must be completed via a face-to-face meeting (either virtual or in-person) with the workgroup manager and new members. New members, especially those from underrepresented populations or who are new to government engagement, may feel intimidated or unsure of their role, so it is important to establish a safe, welcoming environment where they can freely ask questions and be brought into the project at their own pace.
When recruiting community members for workgroup involvement, government staff must seek community members, actively finding them through the methods they seek information and where they are in public spaces. Recruitment must be active instead of passive. We must find and meet people where they are, and not expect them to come to you. Too often, information about a new workgroup soliciting new member applications can only be found in an agency’s newsletter or deep within their website.
Disability occurs across every racial, ethnic, language, gender and social group. The intersection of these complex identities can create unique experiences of discrimination and oppression. Taking time to educate yourself about the disability community helps foster understanding and empathy, breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions.
Before any external communication, applications, scheduling, or meetings take place, the project manager should understand the project intent, goals and process, including any relevant timelines or deadlines and who must be included for the workgroup to successfully complete its work. Planning cannot be overlooked; it is the primary building block for every decision that follows.
Effective community interaction has several parts that must all be done to be meaningful. Our status quo is thinking that if we focus on engaging community members, we will have done our due diligence. Meaningful community engagement requires more than engaging, talking to, or facilitating. EQUITY developed the SPICE model as a guide for impactful community interaction.
There are currently 5 different classes of Workgroup in WA state. Determine what Class your workgroup falls under to ensure compliance with all compensation and reimbursement rules.
The PEAR Plan and Playbook states, “Community is the guiding light for planning, implementing, continuously improving, evaluating, and measuring government actions to achieve pro-equity anti-racism outcomes in the state of Washington.” Effective collaboration requires trust amongst collaborators. Therefore, to have successful and productive work groups that include community, we must make government more relational and be accountable to the people we serve.
When communities of people, grouped together by age, location, or another characteristic, are not allowed to participate in government actions or decision-making, the outcomes are usually processes, policies, and procedures that make it more difficult for them to be successful. Washington state is becoming a government that does things with people instead of to them, truly a government of, by, and for the people. This toolkit was created to help agencies collaborate with community members in a way that is not harmful.
Both of these phrases can be used interchangeably to refer to the collaborative groups that this toolkit is designed to support.
The creation of this toolkit was formally authorized and funded as a proviso in the 2023 State Operating Budget (SB 5187):