Engaging
Background
Harmony has been a focal point throughout my life, professionally and personally. In my professional life, that interest took root while attending the University of San Diego's School of Law and as a volunteer and staff member at the San Diego Mediation Center (now the National Conflict Resolution Center) where I learned community mediation. From that starting point, I found the world of public participation and more recently, its roots to inviting lived experiences via community stories. Personally, harmony arrived through realities of being the youngest of five siblings, younger years playing the violin in a mariachi band, and now supporting the arts like Voices of Our City Choir (shout out to Steph Johnson and Rob Thorsen).
Engagement Services
Engagement is how stories are shared and a shared story is built so that change can happen together. When engagemnet includes the invitation to share the wisdom of lived experience, there's the possibility of healing past and present harms, building understanding to make relationship possible, and having the benefit of more insight into how change actually plays out in the lives of people. Responding to a request to share these stories is an act of courage and trust that I seek to create the spaces to happen. As-needed, engagement services include:
Planning Engagement
Guiding and peer reviewing the development of plans based on the IAP2's Foundations of meaningful engagement, Core Values and Code of Ethics
Conducting Engagement
Supporting delivery of engagement activities, such as:
interviews, informal focus groups, meeting facilitation, and partnering with experts throughout the country in a range of specialized techniques
Evaluating Engagement
Supporting engagement process evaluation, so that plans can adapt and organizations can grow their engagement culture, including partnering with experts across the nation