Getting Started with Community Engagement

Here are the starting steps we'll cover in this section

• • Determining Your How: Identify what skills and experiences you can contribute to making an impact, consider the capacity you have to offer and explore how to make engagement accessible for your specific situation.

  • Finding Your Where: There are many ways to engage in community work. Find out about the different levels of engagement, and what works best for you! Learn about the many resources at your disposal for finding engagement opportunities that most align with your “why,” “impact,” and “how.”

  • Starting Communication: Reaching out can be daunting once you find that cool opportunity! We provide some tools to help you send that first email or fill out an application. We’ll offer some tips on establishing a solid relationship with your intended community partner.

Plus ++ Overcoming Anxiety: We know that anxiety tends to be highest in the beginning! We share some experienced voices giving their tips on how to overcome things like anxiety and imposter syndrome. 

Common Barriers to Entry: Making Community Engagement Accessible

Participating in community engagement is not necessarily an easy undertaking. In determining how you want to engage, it is important to identify possible barriers to participation and what will help make engagement accessible for you. Students who hold fewer positions of privilege may face higher barriers than some of their peers. (Look at our resources around positionality in module 3, Ethical Community Engagement, to learn more about this).  

In 2021, Portland State's Student Community Engagement Center (SCEC) conducted a survey aimed at identifying what barriers exist for students who wanted to engage with service and our center in particular. While the survey was specifically aimed at engaging through one student center, many of the barriers identified are applicable to all types of engagement. 

As your read the list below, consider the barriers that may hold true for you and check out the resources offered in this section and the modules that follow to help you navigate these potential challenges:

• Time and Capacity Limitations: Students are often juggling many different roles and responsibilities, making it hard to engage in community work. 

• Needing to Earn Money Instead: Many students at PSU are working while attending school to make ends meet. They do not have the ability to donate their time for free.  

• Social Anxiety: Lots of students expressed anxiety around engaging with others or taking on roles they may not be ready for as a barrier to engaging 

• Lack of Necessary Accommodations: Students shared that they struggled to find engagement opportunities that accommodated their needs, like physically accessible work, providing childcare, or providing transportation.

• Cultural and Language Barriers: Some students shared that opportunities being designed for English speakers prevented their engagement. Other students shared that they were concerned about cultural barriers they might encounter while engaging. Both of these stem from a culture of community engagement that often centers on white, American-born, volunteers. 

Consider Your Capacity: What level of engagement is right for you?

Part of determining your "how" is thinking about what capacity you realistically have to get engaged in community efforts. Are you planning to volunteer weekly? Monthly? At special events or group-based service projects that only require a one-day commitment?

Do you want to sign up for a regular shift, where you show up at an organization at a set time and day for a shift that requires little preparation outside the initial training? Or are you more interested in bringing your skills to engage in project-based work, which may require you to set your own schedule, work more independently, and pace yourself to finish by a certain date?

Only you can know what is right for you. You need to consider your capacity and your other obligations. You need to consider what engagement opportunities exist for the issue or community that you want to work with. Ask yourself what impact you want to make, what time you have to offer, and what impact you hope this engagement will have on you -- and choose a level of engagement that aligns with your goals and capacity.

Remember, it is okay to start smaller than expand! 

If you need more support considering your capacity and how to juggle a full schedule, check out the "Juggling Your Roles" section and accompanying resources in Module 4!

Use your “how” to find an engagement opportunity that fits you.

• If you know what issue you want to focus on, look at the organizations near you that are focused on that issue. Take a look at the different volunteer opportunities and compare their needs to your list of “hows” 

  • Example: Both the Boys and Girls Club and YMCA serve young people. YMCA is looking for volunteers to help in an art class, while Boys and Girls Club is looking for a math tutor. I go with the YMCA because I have taken many art classes and can share my experience and knowledge.
    
    

• If you know that you want to work with a specific organization, look at the volunteer opportunities they offer, and consider which most lines up with your “how”

  • Action: If they do not have any opportunities listed or none that you feel capable of, then take a look at the organization's mission and the impact they are trying to make. Compare that impact with the skills, resources, and experience you have to offer. Do you see any way that your “how” could help them make their impact? Consider reaching out to someone in the organization and asking if you could contribute.
    
    

• If you are still figuring it out your passion, issue, or impact, you can get started by using your “how” to find opportunities! Which of your “hows” do you most want to contribute or further develop? Seek out opportunities that are looking for that specific skills, resources, or experience, and see which of them fit best.

  • Example: I search “Journalism Volunteer Opportunities Portland Oregon.” I see a few opportunities pop up, but a “writer/journalist internship” position with a poverty-focused non-profit most aligns with my experience. I also would like to learn more about issues of poverty, so I apply. 

Your how will help guide your search; but it's helpful to know where to even begin looking!

Building Understanding of the Organizations and Communities You'll be Entering

After figuring out where you want to engage, it is important to consider how you will develop an understanding of the community or organization you will be working with. Building this understanding will develop the basis of an authentic relationship. (We will dive into the importance of authentic relationships in the next section.) 

Building this understanding will help you determine how to best contribute, what questions you want to ask when you reach out, how you will enter the community, and even at what level you want to engage. 

Maybe a little research shows you a need you did not know about. Or you realize that the volunteer work will be more intense than you thought, so you want to start slow. You could even find a connection to the community you did not know you had.  

Take some time to explore where you can seek out knowledge and understanding to fill in your gaps and build a more cohesive understanding before entering the community. Once you're there, take time to listen and learn from those with whom you are working.

For more support understanding your community relationships, look to the section Ethical Engagement.

Many organizations invest in the creation of dedicated volunteer programs, internships, and other engagement opportunities, and they have established processes for how to get involved if you are interested in getting involved.

Once you've found an organization or a role that you're interested in, do a little research to see what the requirements are to sign up or apply, and what the typical process is to get confirmed for the role. If you're just signing up for a one-time service project, you may not have to do anything more than register and provide your contact information, and you'll be ready to go by the next day! 

Common New Volunteer Onboarding Processes

More often than not, whether you want to go out once or make an ongoing commitment, you'll need to anticipate that the onboarding process takes some time. Plan ahead!

• General Volunteer Application: Some organizations have a general volunteer application that you'll need to fill out before you can move forward with any sort of volunteering at the organization. These applications typically allow the organization to learn more about you and your interests and skills, as well as collect contact and introductory information they need to know.

• Position Application: You might be asked to apply directly for a specific volunteer or intern role with questions tailored to that particular position. Sometimes the application is short and just requires a few questions to answer. Other times, you'll be asked to upload a cover letter and resume, as if applying for a job. 

• Background Checks: Depending on the population you would be working with, you may be required to fill out a background check before being confirmed as a volunteer. Schools and other organizations working with youth and other vulnerable groups typically require background checks for all volunteers, and the process to get approved can take awhile. 

• Orientation & Training: Every organization handles orienting new volunteers in slightly different ways. Sometimes you may be required to attend a general volunteer orientation and/or some training sessions for a specific role; or you'll be asked to watch and sign off on required orientation and training videos. 

• Vaccination Requirements: In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, many organizations require incoming volunteers to submit proof of vaccination as part of their onboarding process. Check and see what the requirements are to ensure you are eligible.

Addressing Accessibility Needs

In the earlier video on accessibility, one international student expressed concerns that his English Language skills would make it hard for him to serve. A community partner brought up travel stipends and childcare as considerations to help community engagement more accessible for those who want to participate. 

As you consider your own accessibility needs, it can be valuable to check in with potential community partners and ask questions to better understand volunteer expectations, and what flexibility or support the organization may provide to volunteers to support their success. The following are just a few questions that might come up during accessibility conversations:

• "What are the physical requirements of the position? Will I need to stand for long periods of time?"

• "What is the organization's policy around masking or vaccinations?"

• "Could wearing my hijab put me at risk while serving?" 

• "Do you offer a mileage reimbursement for volunteers who use their own vehicles during service?"

• "Would my child be able to join me during my shift from time to time?"

• "What recommendation do you have for volunteers leaving their shift after dark if they feel unsafe?"

Asking questions up front can help you better prepare for your engagement and help you make an informed decision about whether it will work for your needs. 

🔑 Essential Activities: The First Step

Choose one of the following, and get the ball rolling!

• Use key words to do a search on GivePulse, and find one posting that might be a good fit for you!

• Use the templete above to write an outreach letter to an organization you would like to support!

• Use the tool above to write a cover letter for a volunteer position you would like to pursue!

How'd it feel to get started? What did you learn about the process? What was the result?  

As you better understand your self and your own interests and capacities, and start reaching out to organizations and groups you're interested in working with, it is a great time to start exploring how you can learn more about the communities with whom you want to work and best prepare yourself to engage with integrity. The next module will dig into important considerations in ethical engagement, to ensure you are able to make positive contributions and not cause unintentional harm to the communities with whom you work.