Priority Area: Meaningful Engagement & Community Driven Decisions
Barrier: Representation and Inclusion

Challenge/Local/State

Description

Local Solution
(Type of Activity: Community Program Implementation )

Use clear, culturally rooted, and multilingual communication tailored to community context. Local agencies should deliver outreach and facilitation in residents’ preferred languages and cultural formats, using plain, relatable messaging rather than technical jargon. Effective engagement goes beyond basic translation to ensure relevance, accessibility, and trust, while maintaining open, multilingual communication channels that connect communities to programs and elevate community priorities in planning and decision-making.

Existing Examples of Progress: 1. Spanish-language organizing as leverage: In one case, a community organizer intentionally spoke in Spanish at a board meeting to force board members to struggle with translation, highlighting neglect of a 1,000-member Spanish-speaking church. This action mobilized 200 residents to show up at a Saturday meeting and submit 115 letters of support, shifting the agency’s stance. 2. COVID-era risk communication (e.g., color-coded systems) is an effective model for simplifying complex information and improving public understanding, highlighting the value of clear, accessible messaging.
Region: San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Inland Deserts, Statewide

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