Tools & Guides
For decades, Public Agenda has worked in communities across the U.S. and internationally to foster sustained engagement. We’ve been inspired by the expertise of our partners in those places, as well as by the work of other practitioners. Building on the lessons learned on-the-ground and in the field, we created the tools and guides below to support practitioners in their efforts to understand, plan, measure and sustain public engagement.
How-To Resources for Engagement
- Keeping People Connected: A nuts-and-bolts toolkit for engaging residents, businesses, and property owners in problem-solving, decision-making and community-building: Toolkit featuring real examples for community members at various levels to learn how to sustain engagement.
- Community Voices for Health Planning Framework: Guide that leads community members through engagement and network strengthening to achieve better health outcomes.
- Strengthening and Sustaining Public Engagement: A Planning Guide for Communities: Guide to help community members determine which kind of engagement is the right fit and how to sustain that engagement.
- Community Voices for Health Guide for Organizers: Guide designed for organizers to help them build coalitions, manage community discussions and activate engagement efforts.
- Taking the Conversation Virtual: A premier guide for managing and participating in digital meetings and discussions.
Measuring Engagement
- Engagement Scorecard: Blog post featuring Public Agenda’s own engagement measurement tool for community members to rate their experiences with public engagement activities.
Digital Engagement Tools
- Digital Tools for Engagement: Blog post featuring many of the engagement tools used by Public Agenda in our own practice and work.
- Text, Talk, Engage (TTE): Accessible and customizable SMS tool that combines texting with face-to-face discussion to inform public policy, stimulate volunteerism and organize new initiatives.
- Engagement Games
- Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Game: Digital quiz that leads participants through the do’s and don'ts of emergency response.
- Jamaica Bay Jeopardy: Part of Cycles of Resilience, this version of the popular TV game show helps build solidarity among neighbors in Jamaica Bay and informs participants about waterways and coastal ecosystems.
Resources for Educators
- Elevating Community College Faculty Voices: Guide to engagement and building community college success by elevating faculty perspectives.
- Teacher Collaboration In Perspective: Guide to supporting teachers' engagement and collaboration with each other to achieve better education outcomes.
- Addressing Incidents of Bias in Schools: A Guide for Preventing and Reacting to Discrimination Affecting Students: Guide to addressing incidents of racial bias and discrimination in schools through engagement and discussion.
- Understanding the Academic Calendar: A Resource Guide: Guide for academic leaders to understand competency-based education calendars and standards to inform their planning.