Redefining Engagement

Lance Knuckles and Tom Watson at EMERGE in North Minneapolis

Community developers agree: “Community engagement” is a buzzword that gets mentioned almost daily in meetings, dropped frequently at coffee shops and emphasized ad nauseam at roundtable events.
People want it quantified and demonstrated, especially when it’s tied to projects, but questions remain around how this is done and what exactly community engagement entails.

North Minneapolis resident Lance Knuckles of EMERGE thinks it’s time to bring some clarity to the hype.

“Community engagement doesn’t have an ending point. It’s the one thing that helps communities be who they are,” said Knuckles who serves as a lead for the Building Sustainable Communities initiative for the North Minneapolis cooperative.

EMERGE’s comprehensive approach to building a more sustainable community in North Minneapolis is supported (in part) by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation through the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Engagement is often thought of in numbers: how many people attended a meeting? How many organizations showed up to an event? What might be missing, according to Knuckles, are the intangibles.
“[It’s] the neighborly hello, the law enforcement coming through,” he said, “The work is not about duplicating or creating new infrastructure, but identifying how are you already working together.”
Each community will have a unique, authentic voice. Capturing this voice can be challenging, but necessary according to Metro area community leaders, if different organizations want to come together under one umbrella to enrich communities collectively.

Through Northpoint, the North Minneapolis collaborative conducted listening projects and asked 450 residents how they feel about their community. Through the Speak Your Mind project, video cameras were set up on the corner to capture neighborhood sentiment.

“[But] information gathering doesn’t constitute community engagement in its fullest,” said Knuckles who believes true engagement is more holistic.

His collaborative takes a three-pronged view that addresses assets accumulation like home ownership; physical capital like buildings, coffee shops, transit, etc.; and human capital, the people.

“Where [these three areas] converge is called comprehensive community development,” he said, proudly noting his group’s creation of the Investment Prospectus, a living, breathing document that articulates the strategy and framework. Eventually, Knuckles hopes to get the Prospectus into the hands of venture capitalists and businesses looking for new value and foot traffic opportunities.
“Traditionally, the philanthropic community partners with nonprofit,” he said. “We’re looking for a handoff with the free market.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge North Minneapolis faces in attracting investors is its image issue.

“Personally I’m not convinced that people know what’s actually happening up here,” said AmeriCorps member Tom Watson. “People need to see more than just crime because more than that happens in North Minneapolis. I think people would be excited if they knew about the different types of projects and the different ways they can be involved.”

Knuckles emphasized storytelling as a means for engagement and breaking through the stereotypes of the area.

“There are more people who value this community than people who are forced to be here,” said Knuckles who mentioned the importance of identifying positive community champions like community radio host Al McFarlane.

There are many more positives to showcase. The workers who built the space where EMERGE operates are from the local community. The Y has created a youth enrichment center. The University of Minnesota has built a great physical space.

Transcending these champions, leaders and organizations working together, there exists a greater collective force.

“All individual organizations take the lead. We [at EMERGE] are one of many in this puzzle,” said Knuckles. “Investing in me will allow you to invest in others. We are part of an ecosystem that is about helping North Minneapolis become healthier.”

The road to a healthier community has been filled with many potholes, and Knuckles acknowledges North Minneapolis has been labeled as a community that has difficulty working together.
The one truth: collaboration and the engagement process are hard.

“It requires transparency and accountability,” he said, while also noting big progress. “I have watched a group of organizations who started out very apprehensive who have now gone to a place to say, we are some of the right people. We want more people to be at this table. We are working together, we are thinking in accordance.”

When asked about the future, Knuckles closed his eyes and spoke of the community he envisions:
“I see people walking on West Broadway. I see public transportation moving people within community. I see convenience goods. I see recreational goods. I see families together. I see children in parks, being safe. I see law enforcement engaged. I see businesses thriving. I see people value this community in a way that’s more than about revenue…”

“I see the American Dream in that we all want a healthy stable life,” he finished. “I know North Minneapolis has the ability to be that.”

For more information about Building Sustainable Communities on the north side, contact Ron Price.

Kelly Koster wrote this story as part of the Building Sustainable Communities project funded by Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Community journalists are working with community development organizations in five neighborhoods in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Hopkins.

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