FACTS of Engaging Communities in Heritage Projects CIMB YOUNG ASEAN LEADERS 2015 In collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Prabha Sundram University-Community Transformation Centre UKM
Communities and Heritage Engagement
A community can be defined most usefully for heritage engagement in terms of a geographical area, or a group of people with shared origins, culture, beliefs, values or interests.
The word 'community' is also a very broad term used to define groups of people; stakeholders, interest groups, NGOs, citizen groups, universities, government agencies, industry etc.
These are all stakeholders - those who may be affected by or have an effect on an effort or a heritage project.
Communities and Heritage Engagement
In the heritage context, community engagement is a planned process with the specific purpose of working with identified stakeholders, whether they are connected by geographic location, special interest, affiliation or identity, to address specific heritagerelated issues that can impact on them (either positively or negatively).
Each community is unique and each challenge you face will be different; ‘one size fits all’ does not apply when it comes to engaging heritage communities.
1. Find your key stakeholders
Stakeholders are crucial to the success of your project. Neglect them and they may work against you. Manage them well and they will actively promote you and your project. The first step in planning any community engagement project is to identify your stakeholders. Get your project team together and list everybody that you can think of who is, or will be affected by the project.
Brainstorm
Community Contacts
Mind map
Stakeholder Mapping
Previous Projects
Stakeholder Lists
UKM’s Natural Heritage Conservation Project Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary One of the 55 designated Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Malaysia, used by the migratory birds to feed and to rest during their migratory route from the northern to the southern hemisphere. 48 species from eight families of birds visit Kuala Gula from September to April every year. The mangrove swamp forest and mudflat of Kuala Gula are not only essential for migratory birds but also for the 600 families of fishermen who rely solely on the mangrove forests and marine ecosystem for their livelihood. Fishermen here make a living by either being involved in cockle farming, aquaculture, crabs, shrimp and fishing.
Key Stakeholders Identified for the Project: Government Agency : Kuala Gula WildLife Conservation Centre, Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsula Malaysia (PERHILITAN) NGO : Global Environment Centre (GEC) Community Service Organisation : Sahabat Hutan Bakau (Friends of the Mangrove) Ketua Penduduk Kampung Tersusun : Local Village Community Leader Higher Education Institution : UKM
2. Analyze your stakeholders Questions to drive stakeholder SWOT analysis Strengths
Weaknesses
What are the Stakeholder's strengths? Could these strengths help the project? Could these strengths hinder the project? What are the stakeholder's weaknesses? What are the stakeholder liabilities? Could these weaknesses help or hinder the project?
Opportunities
What positive expertise, connections, influence does this stakeholder have? Could these be useful?
Threats
What threats could the stakeholder bring to the project? Could the stakeholder put the project at risk? How can these threats be reduced?
Analyzing Media as a stakeholder
3. Communicate with your Stakeholders The International Association for Public Participation’s 5 step framework for stakeholder communication and participation is a useful framework for thinking about different objectives and approaches for heritage community engagement.
Advantages of Effective Communication & Participatory Planning
Ensures the project reflects the interests, missions and goals of all stakeholders
Provides access to a broader range of perspectives, ideas, assets & resources
Ensures that the intervention will have more acceptance, cooperation and credibility because it was planned by a group representing all segments of the community
Enables you to identify potential issues and threats that may hinder the success of your project.
Teaches skills which last far beyond the planning process, and can help to empower the community over the long term
Brings together and establish ties among community members who might normally have no contact e.g. fishing community and university
Develops feelings of ownership and builds a strong base for future sustainable intervention in the community.
4. Build Trust You need to have a purposeful and consistent effort to foster trust and build strong relationships at every step of the way, to facilitate smooth implementation
The keys to building trust in engagement:
Respect - It is essential that the tone, content, and facilitation of your engagement efforts genuinely respects the input of all stakeholders, even when it is difficult
Transparency of processes - Your engagement efforts should be clear and wellunderstood by all stakeholders, devoid of ‘hidden’ or alternative agendas
Sharing information widely - Effective engagement and trust requires that everyone involved is working from a common understanding of the issue and each other’s perspectives as much as possible
Meaningful engagement - Stakeholders will show greater trust in the engagement efforts that account for their perspectives, view their contributions, and employ their skills in a manner that they feel is consistent with their perspectives of these attributes.
Project Delivery – Stakeholders’ will trust you more when you set realistic milestones and communicate your progress honestly and regularly
5. Develop Stewardship of Heritage
Only through community stewardship of the heritage, can it be ensured that the protection of the heritage will be sustained over the long term
One way of promoting local community stewardship is to create a direct link between the safeguarding of the heritage and the socio-economic development of the community
Project implementation strategy should include plans for capacity development of local communities, so that conservation of the heritage can be become a sustainable activity that stimulates economic opportunities by using traditional knowledge, skills and resources that exist within the community
Example: Empowerment of local community members so that they are actively involved in responsible and sustainable heritage-related tourism activities for poverty alleviation
FACTS of Engaging Communities in Heritage Projects
Find your key stakeholders Analyze their assets & needs Communicate with everyone Build Trust Develop Stewardship of heritage
References
Aas, C., Ladkin, A., and Fletcher, J. 2005. Stakeholder Collaboration and Heritage Management. Annals of Tourism Research 32(1):28-48.
Conserving Heritage in East Asian Cities: Planning for Continuity and Change. The Getty Conservation Institute. www.getty.edu/conservation
Brown,J. and Hay-Eddie,T. 2013. ‘COMPACT: Engaging Local Communities in the Stewardship of World Heritage’ UNDP, New York.
Better Together: The Principles of Engagement, The Foundations for Engagement in the South Australian Government. www.yoursay.sa.gov.au/bettertogether
What is Community Engagement? The Community Engagement Toolkit. www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/community-engagement-toolkit