What is community engagement and why is it important?
Community engagement differs slightly from PPI in that it consists of building relationships and having conversations with people or communities. As such, it can be a vital first step to meaningful involvement of public contributors. The purpose of community engagement is to raise awareness and build trust between researchers and the public.
How have we been doing it?
We have teamed up with a community engagement officer for a series of local events designed to connect with people who don’t usually get involved in research. These sessions, which we have called ‘Craft by Numbers’, use the accessible paper craft of Iris Folding (see the picture) as a way to start conversations. As we fold and create, we introduce who we are and listen to people’s views and experiences. This creative, informal approach helps us form new relationships and ensure that our work is shaped by a more diverse set of perspectives.
In each session there are generally around three to four researchers, a community engagement officer, a translator or interpreter (if appropriate) and approximately ten to twelve participants. We bring the craft materials and introduce ourselves at the beginning of the session, before the craft activity which takes approximately 30-60 minutes to complete.
Groups we have visited
- CLiP group, African Caribbean Centre
- South Asian Diabetes Support Group
- Apnanan Cancer Peer Support Group
- African and Caribbean community, New Testament Church of God
- Deaf Friends support group for the deaf and hard of hearing
Our top tips
- It is tricky to talk about any of your actual research – remember this is community engagement not PPI
- Community engagement officer is invaluable
- Translators/interpreters are essential
- Some people need more support than others
Conferences and presentations
- NIHR Statistics Conference 2025, June 2025 (Sheffield, UK) Breakout session – What is community engagement and how can it help diversify our PPI input?
- NIHR Leicester BRC Research Inclusion in Action event, July 2025 (Leicester, UK)
Poster – Craft by Numbers: Community Engagement - Nifty Skills Slam, March 2025 (Barnsley, UK). Invited talk – Tips for successful public engagement.
- Leeds Institute for Data Analytics: Best practices in PPIE for health data science, May 2025 (Leeds, UK). Invited talk – Does patient and public involvement and engagement matter in statistical methodology research?