Fostering Effective Public Engagement training

MHP partnered with Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) and the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) to develop an interactive four-module training program to foster effective public engagement in our communities. The training started by framing why it is important to create safe and effective public meeting spaces, followed by an overview of four main topics:

1. Understanding legal requirements pertaining to public meetings.

2. Engaging in effective outreach and creating meeting ground rules.

3. Structuring public meetings for success.

4. Learning how to keep a meeting from going off-topic.

This training has been developed for municipal staff and board members, as well as local housing advocates. Trainers included the attorney general’s office, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and CBI.