Community Engagement Assignment Assessing Skills That Improve Employability

Question

Task: The purpose of this assessment is for students to develop an understanding of community engagement, the types of community engagement, the skills required and how to develop personal and professional abilities from community engagement that support employability. This assessment has a particular focus to building understanding of the pillars of community engagement

• Building connections:
• Acting with humility,
• Developing understanding,
• Affirming dignity,
• Pursuing Justice

And how each of these pillars is achieved with community engagement and how you achieve each of these and build personal and professional skills.

In this assessment you are required to consider theoretical and practical aspects of community engagement and the interactions with both ACU community engagement and ACU careers. Both of these groups will be presenting during your on-campus sessions.

You report will draw on materials on LEO, further research and the support materials offered for this unit.

You need to consider the following issues: the common good, types of community engagement, skills required to engage with the community and at-risk clients, ethical implications of community engagement and how community engagement will assist with your employability.

Answer

Executive summary
This community engagement assignment is an attempt to successfully enlighten about the concept of Community Engagement. The students of ACU are tried to be prepared to engage in community associations to build up educational concreteness in such a manner that such skills will enable them in successfully meeting the professional service needs. The conceptual framework is discussed regarding community engagement in the beginning. There are pillars of community engagement that form the attributes of the procedure effectually. Building concerns, performing with humility, possessing understanding, affirming to dignity, and pursuing justice integrates to frame community engagement construct. The 5 step theoretical framework of International Association for Public Participation tries to express the concept of community engagement (Bridgstock and Tippett, 2019, p.45). the community engagement assignment also highlights challenges experienced after acquiring the skills regarding community engagement shall be discussed in detail to enable individuals in their career path. The benefits of implementing such skills within community associations are detailed as the final step.

Community Engagement Concept
Students associated to varied universities are increasingly experiencing the requirement to prepare community engagement assignments and platforms as the opportunity to develop them proficiently. The educational courses within universities are creating their mission in such a way that commitment towards community becomes a prime domain of emphasis for students to indulge into. It is intrinsically believed that if community engagements are strengthened as developed skill sets among individuals advancement in people’s personal abilities as well as professional talents will be possible to get manifested. This is therefore valued as the approach where serving for common betterment, elevating dignity and state of wellbeing of people and community get restored (Ruge and McCormack, 2017, p.32). While studying at ACU it is believed that one gets ample exposure to participate in community engagement conducts. Being designed as a segment of graduation degree course community engagement actions such as staff community, community giving, partnering, definite programs and projects are integrated. Pillars of community engagement

• Building community engagement assignment connections: Building up genuine connectivity with members in and around the around the community and organizational firms shall enable in building a broader frame or community. When one individual is set in relationship with another an empathetic association is possible to get evolved (Bacon, 2018, p.72). The sense of dignity is realized by an individual. In many professional environments people belonging from minority communities, females and disable are discriminated. Such a sense of building connectivity through engagement programs within companies shall eliminate discriminatory practices against the vulnerable people and community groups at workplace. It is through the bond of respectful relationship that mutual partnership shall be beneficial in nature. The university guidance allows community engagement to experience positive growth and development in an individual’s life and institutional structure.
• Acting with humility: With the community engagement approach discussed on thie community engagement assignment, not just the professional spheres get satisfied, the personal skill needs equally get evolved. As the community engagement, the act of humility shall be established. It is the ACU community engagement that sustainability and capacity shall be established through the virtue of humility (Gribble et al. 2017, p.23). There is often a sense of equality that needs to be carried out while interacting with community on personal front and professional grounds. An individual is necessary to create an outward sense of equality which shall never be associated with superiority or inferiority sense. A collaborative structure of interaction within the community gets implemented. There are different vulnerable groups of people at work who are impacted with practices of injustice, lack of respect and dignity and inequality of treatment. Each of these vulnerable community groups shall be benefited when the engagement program to generate humility in workplace practices. Human dignity needs to be respected with the preconditioning of genuine understanding. This is possible to generate from humility. A non-judgemental, humble and non-moralistic approach is expected to regard sense of autonomy through personal responsibilities.
• Developing understanding: ACU has created a community engagement which aims for true understanding of the people that one gets engaged in work sphere. While performing professional duties, one needs to adapt empathetic approach to understand people’s perspectives. An involved listening and reflecting skill will allow the heart and intellect to create a strong emotional connectivity with intellectual comprehension (Hart and Akhurst, 2017, p.81). When the vulnerable groups usually facing inequality, discrimination are conducted, there are needs for adjusting with proper understanding. Needs, beliefs, dispositions, hopes and desires that people work with are expected to orient the individual’s experience along with their environment. This empathic understanding shall be considered in association with respect, compassion to develop meaningfulness while preparing this community engagement assignment. This is necessary to establish association with community members.
• Affirming dignity: While an individual establishes community engagement with others, honouring the other person or people with the due dignity ensures protection of community engagement responsibilities. This effectually secures one’s fundamental human rights as well (Minocha et al. 2017, p.27). There are needs for meeting the needs of equality in pay, attitudes and behaviour that have to be implemented with affirming dignity attribute. This balance in workplace attitudes shall be maintained to empower and equalise the population at workplaces. The sense of meaning, self-worth and purpose shall be realized by development of the capacity and potentials of individuals. In order to create holistic spirit of humility in a collaborative manner dignity towards people shall be restored.
• Pursuing Justice: Social justice shall be prevailed through effective community engagement. Development of understanding, performing with humility, affirming to dignity and creating genuine connections integrate to form community engagement (Moore and Morton, 2017, p.14). Creating just and fair opportunity for equal participation needs to be looked after so that none are ignored or marginalised.

Community Engagement Theory
International Association for Public Participation in 5 step framework: It is through the IAP2 framework that looks towards scopes and depths elated with engagement. There are five levels associated with this engagement technique to secure effectiveness (Jones et al. 2017, p.63). With increased participation and involvements the engagement spectrum is likely to get fostered through information sharing using newsletters and websites. Just as the theory speaks of stating goals it equally talks about the techniques to secure them. They are integrated as follows:

Inform: There needs to be a balanced approach adapted for public while preparing this community engagement assignment where objectives and information are created through appropriate understanding and problem solving using effective alternatives (Winberg et al. 2018, p.59).

The techniques used in this case would be establishment of one way interactive processes to create a point of dialogue. This would allow effective vision to be states to address accurate outcomes. Use of newsletters websites and exhibitions shall be common platforms of expression.

Consult: Generating platforms to obtain genuine feedbacks on the basis of analysis and alternative decision making shall be the objective.

Consultation shall be recognized to respond to decision making change. The structured episode processed through surveys, focus groups and public meeting shall be effectually established.

Involve: A consistent understanding with public concerns shall create processes to fulfil the aspirations. There needs to be public responses for community to create decisions on the basis of feedbacks received (Rowe and Zegwaard, 2017, p.104). The community influences shall be created. There shall be workshops and deliberative polling for ongoing processes and face to face dialogue.

Collaborate: Establishing public partnership through decision making shall create platforms for development of alternatives. The preferred solutions shall be identified by interacting with community to enable in formulating the solutions. The participatory decision-making approach would be identified n this community engagement assignment as a solution.

Empower: Decision-making through public association shall invest with time and resources creating community capacity and building it. Community support shall be controlled through Community Development Trust.

Community engagement types and approaches including advocacy, community-based research, direct community engagement and project-based community engagement

Community-based research: In order to establish community centric services there needs to be consolidated understanding created on their perspective. There needs to be an in-depth research conducted upon the communities so that effectiveness in creating approach with service sensitivity can be implemented (Bigg et al. 2018, p.50). For an effective community based approach to be applied one is necessary to possess skills and talents to explore the research areas.

Direct community engagement: A face to face and direct community engagement is necessary to be established. A willing participation in this regard shall be most effective to generate dignity and humility. The direct sense of respect is possible to be sent as message only when a direct community engagement s possibly established. Working in professional groups needs direct interaction to under problem areas of others and show empathy in meeting their needs properly.

Project-based community engagement: There are certain definite community engagement assignment that professional career dimensions demand to be performed. It is depending upon the project based measures that specific objectives shall become targets. On successful fulfilment of the targets through effective community engagements the points of needs shall be expressed. Satisfaction of those needs shall be possible in this means.

Overview of the skills and challenges of workers and volunteers in community engaged services

Just as challenges are evident there are simultaneous solutions decided as resolution for them. In terms of performing the community engagement skills voluntary workers and teachers often come across varied shortcomings (Brown, 2016, p.18). They require coming out of the challenges with effective solutions.

Time commitment: It is that challenge where educators are found to entangle in community engaged teaching where their precious time gets invested. In order to establish partnership community designing projects and meet community goals, engaging students requires specific talent.

Solution: Creation of training and learning centres shall be an effectual solution for community-based engagement (Ferns and Lilly, 2015, p.5). Workshops are found to be promising established institutions for course planning which shall facilitate in community-based teaching to take place successfully.

Public Service Offices: There are community centric efforts made by service officers so that the gaps are possible to be bridged through campus and communities. There needs to be meaningful partnership oriented in an effectual manner to be generated as institution services. There are large-scale learning objectives which are often difficult to encompass. Positive working relationships and community partnerships shall assist such services to take place.

Solutions and possibilities as opportunities shall be devised in the forms of community engagement assignment of community needs. The trust building association can enable the campus-community relationships to be strengthened (Goodman and Tredway, 2016, p.86). Creating a flexible and dynamic project design shall allow community engagement practitioners to equitably secure the learning goals. It is expected of professionals to strategically orient to realistic goals for accomplishing their project. Managing the community expectations and ensuring continuity are necessary to be conducted effectually.

Benefits of personal and professional self-development and employability identified on this community engagement assignment
Developing oneself through the process of professional skill enhancement is a measure of self education. There needs to be employability, self discipline, potential, quality of life, talent to be utilized in this sense. In many of the cases an inclusive structure of workplace culture leads to discrimination of practices. The equality, dignity, morality, humility rights are the various social issues that are deprived to the vulnerable section of workplace population. (Jackson, 2016, p.36). It is believed that by personal and professional self-development process positive performances are coached. Benefits in these six dimensions mentioned takes place. Each of the below discussed steps shall allow the vulnerable people to be assisted within the organization, to resolve their social issues.

Self-aware: One becomes realized about their potentials, strengths and negatives or deficiencies. Through personal development process, one needs to pursue towards their purpose or goal. The journey and reaching destination gives them pleasure this making it an important point to discuss on this community engagement assignment.

Direction: It is through this sense of direction that clearer achievements are possible to be envisioned. When the direction is stated, reaching the destined goal becomes all the easier. One becomes focused to achievement of objectives.

Clarity: With the help of clarity, personal development is possible to be yielded. As the sense of direction becomes clear, prioritization becomes easy through effective objective security and incurring best results (Brown, 2016, p.18).

Motivation: When one becomes actualised about their potentials of achieving a goal they are positively charges and triggered by correct motivations. One takes actions to pave way for necessary actions.

Resilience: It is through personal development process that giving confidence and becoming resilient to such deals shall be better.

Satisfactory relationships: On success accomplishment of goals with personal and professionally developed skills one establishes a strong relationship in life. There is positive impact created upon life.

Conclusion
A community engagement approach shall render individuals with skills and proficiency to identify professional guidance using personal effectiveness. One gets to understand issues and priorities to satisfy community needs. Services designed addressing those understandings are facilitated through community engagement concepts. There are goals set like inform, consult, involve, collaborate and empower. Informing public with specific objectives, consultation of feedback analysis, involvement of direct public processes, collaboration of partner with development of alternatives and empowerment through final decision-making shall be integrated. Usually women, minority community groups, disable and people from other regions are discriminated about rights and equality. Such an engagement program shall empower them, allow equality and involvement practices to be discussed on this community engagement assignment

Reference List
Bacon, E., 2018. Teaching applied politics: From employability to political imaginary. Politics, 38(1), pp.94-108.

Bigg, M., Brooks, I., Clayton, W., Darwen, J., Gough, G., Hyland, F., Longhurst, J., Tierney, A., Tweddell, H., Walsh, A. and Willmore, C., 2018. Bridging the gap: a case study of a partnership approach to skills development through student engagement in Bristol’s Green Capital year. Higher Education Pedagogies, 3(1), pp.417-428.

Bridgstock, R. and Tippett, N. eds., 2019. Higher Education and the Future of Graduate Employability. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Brown, J.E., 2016. Enhancing graduate employability through community engagement projects: A case study of leadership in the performing arts. ISME Commission on the Education of the Professional Musician, community engagement assignment p.31.

Ferns, S. and Lilly, L., 2015. Driving institutional engagement in WIL: Enhancing graduate employability. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 6(1), p.126.

Goodman, S. and Tredway, G., 2016. Antecedents of perceived graduate employability: A study of student volunteers in a community-based organisation. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 42(1), pp.1-10.

Gribble, C., Rahimi, M. and Blackmore, J., 2017. International students and post-study employment: the impact of university and host community engagement on the employment outcomes of international students in Australia. In International Student Connectedness and Identity (pp. 15-39). Springer, Singapore.

Hart, A. and Akhurst, J., 2017. Community?Based Learning and Critical Community Psychology Practice: Conducive and Corrosive Aspects. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, community engagement assignment 27(1), pp.3-15.

Jackson, D., 2016. Re-conceptualising graduate employability: The importance of pre-professional identity. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(5), pp.925-939. Jones, F.R., Mardis, M.A., McClure, C.R., Ma, J., Ambavarapu, C. and Spears, L.I., 2017. Work-integrated learning (WIL) in information technology: An exploration of employability skills gained from internships. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 7(4), pp.394-407.

Minocha, S., Hristov, D. and Reynolds, M., 2017. From graduate employability to employment: policy and practice in UK higher education. International Journal of Training and Development, 21(3), pp.235-248.

Moore, T. and Morton, J., 2017. The myth of job readiness? Written communication, employability, and the ‘skills gap’in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 42(3), pp.591-609.

Rowe, A.D. and Zegwaard, K.E., 2017. Developing graduate employability skills and attributes: Curriculum enhancement through work-integrated learning.

Ruge, G. and McCormack, C., 2017. Building and construction students’ skills development for employability–reframing assessment for learning in discipline-specific contexts. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 13(5), pp.365-383.

Winberg, C., Bramhall, M., Greenfield, D., Johnson, P., Rowlett, P., Lewis, O., Waldock, J. and Wolff, K., 2018. Developing employability in engineering education: a systematic review of the literature. European Journal of Engineering Education, community engagement assignment pp.1-16.