Draft Community Engagement Strategy

Kiama Council has placed its draft Community Engagement Strategy on public exhibition and is inviting our community to tell us what they think. 

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The Strategy provides a practical framework for delivering meaningful and measurable community engagement while strengthening the diversity of community voices. The draft Community Engagement Strategy was created via a co-design process which saw Council staff engage more than 1,000 locals and stakeholders to understand their preferences for engaging with Council, as well as setting out how Council will engage with the community. 

Kiama Council extends its sincere appreciation to all community members and stakeholders who actively participated in phase one of the Community Engagement Strategy co-design, which provided the following insights: 

• The most popular methods for community members to receive Council information were via local newspapers, Council’s e-newsletter, Council website and social media platforms
• Surveys, emails, quick polls, and talking to Council staff at community pop-ups are preferred mediums to share your views and ideas with Council
• There is a preference for a combination of online and face-to-face engagement opportunities, for Council to meet community where they are at and reach a diversity of voices
• Some expressed a need for Council to build trust via improved accountability and transparency in engagement
• Council needs to build staff capacity and provide practical engagement tools to deliver more consistent and meaningful engagement that clearly communicates the level of community influence
• Closing the loop by communicating outcomes and fulfilling commitments is important to ensure you feel heard.

“I urge all community members and stakeholders to read the draft strategy and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear if it aligns with what you expect and need from Council and if there’s anything else we should include,” - Claire Doble, Kiama Council’s Manager Communications & Engagement. 

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You can read the Draft Community Engagement Strategy(PDF, 598KB).

Our phase one Community Engagement report showing the findings from our co-design process is here(PDF, 894KB).

During the 28-day exhibition period for the draft Strategy, Council staff will continue to actively engage with the community and stakeholder groups to gather their feedback.

The feedback gathered during this time will help further shape the final strategy. Our community pop-up program over the next 28 days includes:

In addition, we will participate in a Youth Summit at Kiama High School, and reach out to various community groups and associations, disability groups, aged care villages, and the First Nations community.

Ready to have your say? Click the link below. Consultation closes 17 May 2024.

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