Community Engagement: The Magic Potion

Garan NB¹*

1. Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

The concept of the term community is not unique to developing or developed countries. The principles and practice associated with engaging a community are transferable from one context to the next. Pressures on the current health care system means that services need to be in tune with the needs of their targeted group and be prepared to challenge existing practices. The culturally and linguistically diverse population in Australia is increasing and ever changing. Modifying practice to suit the needs of the target population is imperative for cost effective, appropriate and sustainable changes to take place.

Partnership, collaboration and participation are vital to the success and sustainability of any project. By comparing community engagement in a developing country (Kingdom of Tonga) and a developed country (Gold Coast, Australia) the author will compare and contrast practices and principles of working with communities using participatory approaches. This paper will explore the benefits of and strategies for engaging communities and relevant stakeholders across a variety of sectors to identify their needs, develop sustainable, relevant and appropriate resources, and evaluate and plan for future engagement.

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