The Community Engagement Academy is an interactive three-day Academy led by experts from the University of New Hampshire and the University of Maine. Designed for practitioners and community volunteers, the Academy takes place in three communities in different stages of downtown revitalization. Participants will learn from local speakers about their community engagement efforts. The Academy provides best practices for community engagement and introduces participants to engagement beyond the standard community forum, including a variety of tools: dot posters, key informant interviews, youth artwork, story maps, and more.

Topics include:

• Developing a plan for community outreach and engagement
• Thin engagement vs. thick engagement
• Equity and inclusion: using a variety of tools to reach underrepresented audiences in your community
• Vision to action: using information gained through community engagement
• Engagement for a variety of topics: preparing for climate change, downtown revitalization, community art, connecting trails and downtowns