The idea
Oxford University wanted to review its public and community engagement (P&CE) activity and developing a public and community engagement strategy. They sought our help to consult local communities on their knowledge, experience and perception of community engagement, and how the University could improve on it in future.
What we did
The work involved identification of and research with a range of stakeholders, including the general public. We carried out workshops with University staff and academics, interviews with a variety of stakeholders, community focus groups, an e-survey of existing contacts, and an on-street survey with the general public.
Impact of our work
Our comprehensive report provided guidance to the University on how to continue the inclusive nature of the process disseminating the findings to key stakeholders and adopting a clear plan to progress community engagement. We emphasised the process should be owned by a group of stakeholders, drawn internally from within the University (including high level engagement) and external stakeholders. We recommended that this new group should be tasked with overseeing the development and implementation of the strategy and with monitoring its development.
Our report was very well received and our recommendations were adopted and informed the University’s public and community engagement strategy.
