On Monday 1 June, a group of our volunteers came together to explore the ins and outs of engaging with communities – what works, what doesn’t, and the principles that underpin good practice. The event was held in The Bakery, an event space at MyEdinburgh that will soon become the new home of Planning Aid Scotland. The bright, airy room made for an energising setting, and with whiteboard paint on the walls, we could scribble our ideas throughout the space.

The beginning of June marks Volunteers’ Week, an annual UK-wide campaign that has been running for over 40 years. It is a time to recognise and celebrate the contributions of volunteers who generously give their time and skills to a huge range of causes.

Our Volunteer Coordinator, Jo Elston, explains why we took a different approach this year:

“We wanted to organise something that would not only celebrate our volunteers but also provide something extra to support their professional development. Community engagement skills is a topic that often comes up, so we focused on exploring some of the underlying principles and skills to build confidence when working with communities.”

The event also gave volunteers a chance to network and build practical skills useful both for their volunteer roles and wider professional lives.

We started the day by listening to the experiences of those in the room – sharing examples of good and bad engagement from their own lives, and discussing what factors led to those experiences.

We then held a group activity where we tasked everyone to develop a strategy for a hypothetical project to improve public transport: who should they engage with and how would they reach those people.

After discussing a broad range of tools and techniques for engaging with members of the public, we turned our attention to facilitation and how important it is when running an event or having a group discussion. Everyone had the chance to practice some key facilitation skills: active listening, managing contributions in group settings, and leading events.

We rounded the day off with discussions on power dynamics, reflecting on why some people may be more comfortable attending community engagement events than others, how we can make them as welcoming as possible, and why facilitators need to stay aware of power dynamics throughout the session.

Jo reflects:

“We had such a fantastic, engaged group who really got stuck into the topics we were discussing. It was great to see how much everyone was reflecting on their own experiences and contributions, learning from each other just as much as they were learning from us.”

“At the end of the day, our volunteers are integral to our work and we want to express our gratitude for their support.”

What did participants take away from the session?

• An understanding of power dynamics within groups and how to manage them
• How to deal with conflicting voices
• The skills a facilitator needs to run a successful community engagement event
• Learning how to lead the conversation
• Building confidence for the future
• Community engagement from a planning perspective

Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do at Planning Aid Scotland. We offer a range of flexible volunteering opportunities to suit different lifestyles and interests – from giving expert planning advice to supporting community-led planning. If you would like to join our network and receive access to volunteering opportunities, CPD events and connect with people in the sector, please send an email to volunteer@pas.org.uk.

If you are interested in learning more about community engagement, we still have spaces on our Community Engagement Skills Training later this year in Glasgow.