1 Table of contents 109

Engaging Communities Through Issues Forums

This publication is part of a two-part series exploring the use of forums as a community engagement tool in Extension work. It is a comprehensive how-to guide designed to help Cooperative Extension professionals develop issues forums in both onsite and online settings.

ATTRIBUTION		2
TABLE OF CONTENTS		3
MEET THE AUTHORS		5
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS		8
FOREWORD		9
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY		10
Origins of Our Story		11
Origins of 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2021 Forums		11
ABOUT THIS GUIDE		13
Who is This Guide For?		13
How Should I Use the Guide?		17
Why Use a Forum?		17
Our Story – Why We Used Forums to Address Farm and Farm Family Issues		20
ABOUT FORUMS		21
What is a Forum?		21
Online Forums		22
Our Story – About Our Forums		23
What are the Principles of Successful Forums?		24
Principle One: Use Adult Learning Recommended Practices		24
Principle Two: Facts guide thinking, decision-making, and action		24
Principle Three: Relationships Between and Among People and Our Built and Natural Environments Matter		25
Principle Four: Solutions are Multi-level, Innovative, and Build on Existing Assets		27
Principle Five: How Issues are Named and Framed Helps to Engage Community Participation		27
HOW TO NAME AND FRAME ISSUES		28
What is “Naming and Framing” and Issue?		28
Why is “Naming and Framing” So Important?		29
Our Story – Naming and Framing Issues for Our Forums		30
HOW TO ENGAGE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES		31
Identifying People		31
Recruiting Representatives of the Community		31
HOW TO PLAN A FORUM FOR SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT		32
How to Plan a Forum		32
Planning Timeline		34
Agenda of a Forum Using the Principles of a Successful Forum		36
Engaging Others		39
Planning Team or Committee		39
Facilitators		39
Key Informants		40
Forum Participants—Community Involvement		42
Members of the Media		43
Sponsors and Partners		43
On-Site Face-to-Face vs. Online/Virtual Forums		43
Our Story —Engaging Others and Creating Our Forum		44
THE FORUM AGENDA – THE FLOW AND ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES		45
1.Ground the Content of the Issue with Facts and Context		45
Our Story — Just the Facts and Context, Please		46
2.Case Studies Connect Participants to Each Other and the Personal Side of Issues		47
Using Case Studies During the Forum		49
Our Story — Stories Connect People		50
3.Moving from Ideas to Actions - Strategic Doing™		51
Using Strategic Doing™ During the Forum		53
Pre-Forum Activities		53
During the Forum—Strategic Doing™ Activity Steps		54
Our Story — Strategic Doing in Practice		54
4.Resource Table		55
5.Post-Forum Activities		55
Our Story — Post-Forum Tales		56
WHY AND HOW SHOULD WE EVALUATE THE FORUM?		58
Why Collect Evaluation Data?		58
How and When Should We Collect Data?		59
Before the Forum		59
At the End of the Forum or as Part of the Strategic Doing™ Process		60
Post-Forum		60
Three months following the forum, administer a survey to gather insight into the actions taken by participants; you can ask for personal actions as well as if anything has changed within their organization/community because of their attendance. Additi...		60
Harwood (2021) notes that community engagement leads to changes, intended and unintended, that ripple across communities. The change cascades and creates chain reactions and produces unforeseen outcomes. Capturing those outcomes can encourage people t...		60
Using the data you collect with your evaluation strategy will help to inform the big and little changes that occur. In some cases, your forum will be the beginning of a ripple; you may not ever know how far it goes out in the community, but on-going d...		60
Our Story — How Knowledge, Confidence and Conditions Began to Change		60
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE FORUM?		64
Communication		64
Action and Accountability		64
Publicize Outcomes		64
Our Story: Keep on Keeping On		64
Communications		65
Strategic Doing™ Groups		65
Reporting		65
Opportunities		65
Lessons Learned		66
Pre- Forum Considerations		66
Post-Forum Considerations:		66
CONCLUSION		67
Our Story — The End or a New Beginning		68
RESOURCES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT		69
1.Naming and Framing Issues		69
2.Resources to Engage with Communities		69
3.Community Issue Forum Examples		72
4.Resources for Farm and Farm Family Resilience		72
TOOLS TO USE IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING A FORUM		74
Tool 1: Situation Analysis and Naming and Framing Worksheet		75
Tool 2: Engaging Community—Identifying Community Capitals Worksheet		76
Tool 3: Considerations for In-Person or Online/Virtual Forums		77
In-person Forums		77
Online Forums		78
Tool 4: Forum Budget Planning Template		80
Tool 5: A Planning Timeline and Checklist		81
Tool 6: Suggested Progression & Agenda Items for Planning Committee Meetings		84
Tool 7: Preparing for the Forum Day Checklist		85
Seating arrangements		85
Note-taking supplies		85
IT/presentation set-up		85
Participant packets		85
Wayfinding signage		85
Sign-in/Registration Table		85
Facilitator Preparation		85
Resource Table		86
Other		86
APPENDICES		87
Appendix 1: Stakeholder Logic Model for Linking Farm Vitality and Health		88
Appendix 2: Invitation to Forum Attendees from the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Associate Dean and Director of Cooperative Extension, 2018/2019		89
Appendix 3: Email Invitation to Forum Participants from Planning Committee 2018/2019		91
Appendix 4: Letter of Invitation to Forum from Planning Committee - 2021		92
Appendix 5: One-Month Follow Up Letter to Delaware Participants and Stakeholders - 2018/2019		93
Appendix 6: Post Forum Letter to all Participants - 2021		94
Appendix 7: Case Studies 2018/2019 - Linking Farm Vitality and Health Forum		96
Appendix 8: Case Studies 2021 Could Covid Happen Again? Forum		98
Appendix 10: Key Informant Interview Question Guide (2018/2019)		101
Appendix 11: Focus Group Questions (2021)		102
Appendix 12: Evaluation - Sample Temperature Reading		103
Appendix 13: Evaluation Questions used for Online/Virtual Forum		104
Appendix 14: Evaluation - 3-Month Post-Forum Survey (2021)		105
Appendix 15: Special Supplement to the Delmarva Farmer		106
Article Written by Attendee and Reporter Carol Kinsley		106
REFERENCES		107

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