Step 1. The Tools and Resources Available

Increased knowledge of issue(s) and its relationship with other public issues of concern​

Increased awareness of diverse perspectives​

Increased citizen self-efficacy and commitment to engage and deliberate to act on and influence community issues​

Increased diversity of voices engaged in community dialogue and decision-making​

Increased number of individuals/ organizations actively engaged in issues​

New partnerships and stronger relationships are developed among diverse individuals/ organizations

Increase in individuals/ organizations working on issues

Program participants and partners demonstrate improved citizenship and community engagement

Community agency (i.e., capacity, action, and engagement) increased

Communities make better, more equitable decisions

Community solves issues

Community resilience is improved (social, economic, environment)

Community values Extension as a trusted resource and partner

• Action competence: an individual’s capacity of critically selecting and conducting possible actions that may solve societal problems through democratic mechanisms" (Odabaşı, Kurt, et al., 2011, p. 1)

• Agency: relates to the ability of the individual to actually accomplish the behavior desired (Heimlich 2010, pg 182); capacity of an individual or group to organize, and act independently of direction and authority (Ross and Berkes 2014, pg 788)

• Community: described as having several interrelated components: the social cultural environment (the people); the physical built environment (the place) including infrastructure and public services; and, the opportunities afforded and the economic and educational environment which is made up of the local economy and educational institutions (equitable opportunity) (Pinderhughes, Davis, and Williams 2015, pg 13)

• Community competence: can be thought of as the problem-solving ability of a community that arises through collective effort (Lochner, Kawachi, and Kennedy 1999, pg 267)

• Community resilience: identifies community's ability to utilize its current resources in order to adapt to an adversity or sudden disturbance, and eventually to be able to absorb the disturbance, get back to routine, and even perform better and comparison with the pre disturbance situation (Rapaport et al 2018, pg 471)

• Self-efficacy: Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task (Bandura 1977 cited by Krasny 2020, pg 141)

• Sense of Community: feelings among members of a group that they belong to the group, that they are important to each other, and that their needs will be met through the group (McMillan and Chavis 1986 cited by Krasny 2020, pg 130)

• Social Capital: A set of prescriptions, values, and relationships created by individuals in the past that can be drawn on in the present and future to facilitate overcoming social dilemmas (Ahn and Ostrom 2008, pg 73, cited by Krasny 2020, pg 175)

• Social Cohesion: the willingness of members of a society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper. Willingness to cooperate means they freely choose to form partnerships and have a reasonable chance of realizing goals, because others are willing to cooperate and share the fruits of their endeavors equitably (Stanley 2003, pg 5)

• Social Learning: refers to learning by doing through experience in successful group processes. According to Reed et al (2010) a process of social learning must: "(1) demonstrate that a change in understanding has taken place in the individuals involved; (2) demonstrate that this change goes beyond the individual and becomes situated within wider social units or communities of practice; and (3) occur through social interactions and processes between actors within a social network (Social Learning Group 2001; Reed et al 2010; cited by Cumming, Olsson, Chapin, Holling 2013, pg 1141)

• Values: broad goals or principles that tend to be stable over time and that people find important in life - like equality, freedom, and environmental conservation; values reflect the foundational principles that guide our lives (Krasny 2020, pg 102). Four types of values are listed below.

  • Biospheric: refer to a concern for nature and the environment without regard to human needs (De Groot and Thogersen 2013 cited by Krasny 2020, pg 102)

  • Altruistic: reflect a concern with the welfare of other human beings (Stern and Dietz 1994 as cited by Krasny 2020, pg 102)

  • Egoistic: reflect concern for oneself (Krasny 2020, pg 103)

  • Hedonic: refer to individual pleasures (Krasny 2020, pg 103)