Phases of Community Engagement

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ATSDR’s Phases of Community Engagement provide a simple, practical framework for organizing community engagement activities throughout the course of a typical site-based environmental public health effort.

Phase I: Setting the Stage

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How can ATSDR address community member concerns?

What is unique about the community?

What are the purpose and goals of the community engagement effort?

Phase II: Getting Started

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How can ATSDR establish trust and credibility with the community?

Phase III: Keeping it Going

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How will ATSDR follow through on commitments in the community?

Phase IV: Wrapping Up

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How will ATSDR successfully share its findings and empower the community?

For each phase we will provide:
  1. An Overview section,
  2. An Ask Yourself section, (with questions to consider when entering a community)
  3. A Keep in Mind section, (to remind you of important considerations)
  4. A Community Engagement Activities section, (to consider based on the community’s needs)

It is important to note that, while some activities sit squarely in a specific phase, others are cross-cutting and will apply throughout your involvement with a community. Many activities will happen in parallel, making it critical to maintain good communication across stakeholders and efforts.

Page last reviewed: December 15, 2021
Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry