Also check out this graphic image of the components of a Fire Adapted Communities (from the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network). It doesn't specifically refer to process (e.g., ABCD) but is meant to be used to support all kinds of conversations.
Here's a link to the blog post: https://fireadaptednetwork.org/resource/fire-adapted-communities-graphic-and-facilitators-guide/
I'm part of the small group that Michelle is referring to -- I worked for two years as a community engagement consultant in northern California for the Fire Learning Networks and introduced ABCD to that organization (a partnership between The Nature Conservancy, the US Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other federal agencies).
Ian: Thanks for posting that JAPA article. City and regional planners (the journal's audience) can be very helpful partners. Those who focus on neighborhood and district planning often have the fine-grained sense of the community and a comprehensive appreciation for social (economic and cultural) diversity that supports wide participation.
Michelle: Where are you located? I would love to know more about your experience of complacency. Perhaps we could compare that to my experiences in rural areas where agency representatives thought people were complacent about fire. It was the opposite, but there was no way for them to know that without personal, out-of-the-box interaction. (E.g., "the community" not showing up for presentations or meetings was not an accurate indication of their interest in mitigation.)
Thanks for your thoughts - I'd like to hear more and to contribute to imagining what "community-led disaster preparation looks like".
In my current work -- which involves connecting rural community members better with local organizations and government agencies, and supporting collaborative processes among organizations -- I tend to think of stakeholders as people who identify in a particular context as having territory to defend. For example, defenders of wildlife, offroad vehicle access, their profession, park "users", etc. So they represent themselves according to a particular interest. I think of "community engagement" as a field of action that assumes that social interaction is a common good and that inclusive, place-based interrelationship is necessary for moving toward a better common future.
Like so many others, I find the term "stakeholder" really limiting when applied to a person. We are not reducible to our positions, but are beings full of compexity, idiosyncrasy, transformation (e.g., aging, maturing, learning from experience), out of which our gifts and skills and talents find their expression and into which we accept with gratitude the gifts and skills and talents of others. However, I don't mean to imply that holding ground isn't vital for some things at some times!!
Hi Marisa, I'm in California too, working right now with two communities that I approached "cold". I'd be happy to talk with you about how to get started from the beginning. I'm using ABCD in a collaborative project with National Forest staff, to support community engagement in wildfire readiness and use of controlled burning for multiple benefits. There are a few overlaps with Parks and Rec, and I also have an urban planning background. You can reach me at janacarpconsulting@gmail.com.
This is my blog post introducing asset mapping to members of the Fire Learning Network. I'm using it to organize rural communities around wildfire preparedness. There's a link in there to a two-page handout on method and steps. https://fireadaptednetwork.org/community-based-asset-mapping-fire-adaptation/ . Let me know what you think!
Thanks for posting the manual link, Aspen. Good food for thought.
