PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FOR LAND RECLAMATION IN PANTAI KLEBANG MELAKA DEVELOPMENT AS AN ATTRACTION AREA

By: Nur Afiqah bt Mohamed Bakary (Group Leader), Shafizat b Sirwirasirhashs, Ahmad Arifin b Shakimin, Nik Nora Faziana bt Mazlan, Noor Izati bt Zaidi, Nurul Amni bt Ismail, Syazlin bt Suhaimi, Loveryn Yabin and Muhammad Hamizan b Mohd Faudzi

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This task is about conducting a community engagement at the Pantai Klebang Malacca. Referring to the topic we want to know about the perception of reclamation development for the community planning in the study area. This community planning includes formulating long-range plans, priorities, policies and strategies in achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability within a group to direct future community growth so that the group can participate and determine what the best they need and together deciding what they need. Following the globalization of the development at the Malacca, this has several instruments that are available for conducting. Preparing practitioners involve in planning for public engagement need to have a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each method in order to choose the ones suitable for a given context.

In planning theory and practice, the idea of planning as a scientific, problem-solving task has gradually given way to what was called the argumentative turn. From the context, the manner in which challenges and concerns are interpreted and expressed will adversely impact the structure and policy effects of city development. Reclamation is selective representations of the past, providing a framework in which to place the meaning of contemporary events and make decisions about the future. The community engagement is used to illustrate how the reclamations for development that involved in the planning process of surrounding area. Attempting to implement efforts on the engagement from communities are also troublesome because of participatory, inclusive preparation activities. This is partially because the organisation of such activities reflects a difficulty implicit in understanding the effect and evaluation of an agenda of associational intervention and local democracy near the reclamation at the Pantai Klebang, Malacca.

Public Engagement or Community Engagement is the same term to define the cooperation between local people with other parties carrying out for each plan to be real. According to John Stuart Mill et al. (1990) defined mutual benefit is an important part that highlighted need involvement from public engagement who give more benefits and quality. Benefits include the process that starts from learning, develop a new skill, get a new idea to expand better research to increase the aspiration or obtain it. In addition, public engagement is involvement with the public in any aspect. In REF case studies (2004), they found lots of definitions that describe public engagement with research.

This shows that it includes the outreach, involvement by patient, combination research, citizen, citizen science, participatory arts, lifelong learning, the engagement between partner and community engagement. Even though the purposes of this approach, the process are different, what they all have in common is describe the aspiration to link the work in universities. Through the discussion with the local people, the other stakeholders such as Local Authority, Government Departments, and consultants who participate in the discussion will be providing consulting on creating the design process. It is one of the parties’ acts to fulfil some aspect of the agreement to implement services that will achieve some of the outcomes. Besides, public engagement is an act as a platform for sharing information, consulting, involving, collaborating and empowering.This task is about conducting a community engagement at the Pantai Klebang Malacca. Referring to the topic we want to know about the perception of reclamation development for the community planning in the study area. 

This community planning includes formulating long-range plans, priorities, policies and strategies in achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability within a group to direct future community growth so that the group can participate and determine what the best they need and together deciding what they need. Following the globalization of the development at the Malacca, this has several instruments that are available for conducting. Preparing practitioners involve in planning for public engagement need to have a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each method in order to choose the ones suitable for a given context. In planning theory and practice, the idea of planning as a scientific, problem-solving task has gradually given way to what was called the argumentative turn. From the context, the manner in which challenges and concerns are interpreted and expressed will adversely impact the structure and policy effects of city development. Reclamation is selective representations of the past, providing a framework in which to place the meaning of contemporary events and make decisions about the future.

The community engagement is used to illustrate how the reclamations for development that involved in the planning process of surrounding area. Attempting to implement efforts on the engagement from communities are also troublesome because of participatory, inclusive preparation activities. This is partially because the organisation of such activities reflects a difficulty implicit in understanding the effect and evaluation of an agenda of associational intervention and local democracy near the reclamation at the Pantai Klebang, Malacca. Public Engagement or Community Engagement is the same term to define the cooperation between local people with other parties carrying out for each plan to be real. According to John Stuart Mill et al. (1990) defined mutual benefit is an important part that highlighted need involvement from public engagement who give more benefits and quality. Benefits include the process that starts from learning, develop a new skill, get a new idea to expand better research to increase the aspiration or obtain it. In addition, public engagement is involvement with the public in any aspect. In REF case studies (2004), they found lots of definitions that describe public engagement with research.

This shows that it includes the outreach, involvement by patient, combination research, citizen, citizen science, participatory arts, lifelong learning, the engagement between partner and community engagement. Even though the purposes of this approach, the process are different, what they all have in common is describe the aspiration to link the work in universities. Through the discussion with the local people, the other stakeholders such as Local Authority, Government Departments, and consultants who participate in the discussion will be providing consulting on creating the design process. It is one of the parties’ acts to fulfil some aspect of the agreement to implement services that will achieve some of the outcomes. Besides, public engagement is an act as a platform for sharing information, consulting, involving, collaborating and empowering.

2.0 Aim, Objective and Scope

2.1 Aim

The aim for this public engagement is to reduce the issues and problems faced by the local community due to land reclamation in Pantai Klebang especially fishermen.

2.2 Objective

There have several research objectives have been identified to achieve the above goals namely;

1. To identify the types of methods and approach will be used
2. To identify issues and problem affecting the well-being of the local community
3. To study the relevant needs of the local community
4. To identify solutions to reduce the issues and problems faced by the local community

2.3 Scope

The scope of the study is designed to achieve the goals and objectives listed namely;

1. Type of tools and methods to approach
2. Issues and problems
3. The relevant needs of the local community
4. Solution to reduce the issues and problems

3.0 Study Background

Pantai Klebang, Melaka

Pantai Klebang is located in Melaka nearby Tanjung Kling and also Batu Berendam. The beach is located on Melaka 's southern shoreline and faces directly the Malacca Strait which makes the place an interesting place to visit.  The beach is located next to 1Malaysia Square. Pantai Klebang a secret gem called the Sand Dunes, where sunrise or sunset from a secluded location is great to enjoy. Klebang Beach is a perfect place to enjoy fun-filled family events such as horseback riding, flying kites and the stunning beach. The beach also has a children's playground, and alongside the park, there are many food trucks that serve tasty snacks. It's particularly renowned for its coconut shakes and food trucks.

Key Plan

Location Plan

4.0 Issues of Pantai Klebang 

Pantai Klebang, Melaka is the chosen place to make a public engagement with the stakeholders who involve with the current issue namely land reclamation. This issue had give an effect on the local people and also the surrounding area, especially during the land reclamation works started in March 2005 until December 2014. During the reclamation projects, it has affected many sectors. In addition to ecological damage and coastal structures, this submarine project is forcing the coastal fisherman to abandon their economic activities. In addition to the misery faced by coastal fishermen, the impact of the reclamation makes the river downstream to be narrow and inaccessible. Thus, the outflow to the sea is not strong enough to flow at a rapid rate, resulting in overflow from the river and flooding many areas including the Alor Gajah, Berisu and other coastal areas along the Malacca River. However, the situation is different right now, among the effect from the beach reclamation is the fishery area affected, sea pollution, the sediment of mud and sand, less of the source of the fishery, reducing the catch product and also give effect on daily revenue decreased and also people are not allowed to go into the sea due to the depth sea expectation after the beach reclamation. Based on this situation, we had decided to do public engagement with a few stakeholders.

5.0 Tool & Method of Public Engagement

5.1 Tool 

To creating public engagement, there have a few tools to help in choosing engagement methods to make the process of public engagement to become smooth and able to achieve the program agenda. The tool that has been chosen to applying in this engagement is Process Planner. There have six (6) elements include in this tool where it started with scope, objective, participants, context, follow up and results.

The scope is a matter that acts as a guideline to make sure the activity agenda is on track such as the program strategy, how public input will be captured, documenting what the public said and documenting how the plan responds to public input. The purpose is an explanation about the reason to do that activity with provided the future outcome that produce from the engagement. This is one of the ways to make everybody clear with the program agenda. Next is the participant where the secretariat of the program needs to identify who will participate in this event. The context of the program must be provided and distribute it into the party who will involve while at the same time the secretariat program must follow up with them who will involve and lastly is the result.

5.2 Methods

There have a few methods that will be used in our public engagement namely Community Mapping, Web-based Engagement and Street Stalls. 

COMMUNITY MAPPING

The community involved in this method is a step or a way to communicate with a group designed to answer every research question made and gather feedback from members of the community for the purpose of developing planning, guidelines and intervention-based interventions, it can be described as a focus group around the map. It involves the voice of the community on a particular map based on the community's observations

Writing regarding issues and photographs of a particular area or location is used to explain how the individual views of the community are. All ideas given or views will be noted in the notes. The purpose of this method is to identify and issues.

Community asset-mapping

This is a very practical way to find out what assets have existed in community development. All the activities undertaken are to provide skills in understanding and identifying potential. This situation is able to provide awareness to all communities in knowing every resource is issued, and will enable the resources that are identified in the next action. The situation at Pantai Klebang which has always been attended by the community is able to implement the method. With community views there, this can identify issues relating to land reclamation.

Among the benefits of using community mapping engagement are:

1. Encourage exchanging views
2. May establish a sense of ownership in the community
3. May help people see and perceive their community differently

Notes of community opinions

WEB-BASED ENGAGEMENT

There are various ways web-based engagement can be used like, Facebook, online discussion forums and blogs, in-app surveys, social media networks, digital TV. Web-based Activities make it easier for the community to choose anywhere or anytime Kerna there are no limits on how to participate in those methods. This can encourage the community to participate in each discussion to ensure that the parties involved in knowing each community's voice and authority can take action based on what is being voiced. This Platform also provides facilities for the community with current time information, if the community members have a smart phone. Online interaction system is simple and effective. Can engage with more participants directly. With the use of this method at Klebang Beach, a broader and more efficient community achievement, more respondents from various categories can be contacted for their views on land reclamation.

Using social media as a platform to
engage with local community

Among the benefits of using Web-based Engagement are: 

1. People can pick a suitable time and place to attend
2. Lower cost
3. Can reach a large number of people and it takes less time to attend a workshop or a public meeting
4. Can share views and can get the fastest response from the local community

STREET STALLS

Street stall methods consist of displays for people such as ideas that can be used to find out the views and comments in many community numbers. Maps and plans for areas or projects can be displayed to comment on issues and problems that occur in addition to generating ideas and views of the public on the facilities needed. The exhibition is one of the forms of methods used to attract the attention of visitors and to exhibit the results of the respondents to be able to evaluate the live land reclamation project in Pantai Klebang for their lives.

 

Local community share their ideas

The way the local community involved

Among the benefits of using street stalls engagement are:

1. Can gather views by a large numbers of people
2. Capable of influencing the people
3. Getting active and creating awareness
4. Can reach people who would not usually take part

      

      FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION

     Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is an interconnected discussion between stakeholders from the same background, experience and experts on similar subject matter. This method creates qualitative research where the issues have been related to the questions. Participants will be asked in discussion and get attitudes and experiences from them. In the Focus Group Discussion (FGD), the participant is free to speak and give their perception with each other and. This method is not similar to other method, it helps to encourage the participants' discussions. Indirectly, small-group interviewing tends to involve 8 to 12 people who are led by the moderator (interviewer) in any related topics in this discussion. A focus group discussion (FGD) is the best way to collect information with make people gather about the issues that relate to the area. These discussions will help to produce the outcomes which leads to people of opinion and perception who take part in a lively and natural discussion among themselves.

Major steps involved in FGD

      Key features of focus group discussions:

• Involves organized a discussion with a selected group of individuals to collect data about their views and the subject's experiences
• Particularly suited to obtain different perspectives on the same topic
• To obtain perspectives into people's common understanding of daily life and how individuals in a group situation are influenced by others
• The role of the moderator is very important, even though good group leadership and communication skills are required to successfully moderate a group

 

Key step in conducting FGD

Designing focus group discussion

                                                               Moderator Skills:                    

• Choose the right moderator
• Use a support moderator
• Prepare yourself mentally
• Use deliberate small talk
• Use probes and pauses
• Record the debates
• Control participant reactions
• Use subtle group checks
• Make the beginning clear and easy to understand
• Apply appropriate findings

Recorder (Assistant Moderator Skills):

• Equipment and refreshments help
• Set up room
• Participants welcome as they arrive
• Locate at designated location
• Take notes during the debate
• Functional recording equipment 
• Do not take part in debate
• Ask questions upon invitation
• Tell us an oral summary
• Shortcut to moderator
• Feedback on analyses and reports

Among the benefits of using focus group discussion are:

1. Efficient way to identify and clarify the key issues
2. More easily to handle the conflict
3. Can be designed for a specific purpose

6.0 Principle of Community Planning

Developing community planning is a method to bring community members and authorities together in giving ideas, explaining value, determining priorities, and policies. The Commission together with the Community is responsible for ensuring that processes and methodologies meet legal and integrity, community participation. The first principle of community planning in educating participants. A way to educate the participants to provide information that can be accessed and first involved to enable the participant's paragraph to voice the opinion. Participants using detailed and balanced background materials. After which the topic expert will answer the question of answer. Individuals are given enough time to absorb information and provide views for the issue. Community involvement empowers the public to know the process.

While the second planning community is chosen in a way that does not accept manipulation and represents the community. Random option methods are preferred for the issue frame to occur. Community Input, which may be supported by quantitative, empirical, and information. The information will give you a better feel than a particular desire dimension. This evidence becomes a prolonged approach in empowering the community with information and can facilitate a transparent way forward (Saliba, 2015).

In addition to the principles supporting quality consideration. This principle facilitates discussion and community voice. The community is focused on the public rather than the self-interest of the participants. With each problem there will be solutions that can bring extra benefits. The complexity that occurred have long-term solutions that were not only effective but increased originally. Quality solutions will show an increase from time to time. The community will identify the concepts and concerns shared and give them a relative priority. The participants who submit are not what they need personally but what is in the interest of a broader community.

Finally is the long term planning and maintaining. The best town planners will tackle problems immediately and take steps to achieve the city's unique goals. The principle of the planning community is crucial in ensuring the development undertaken in line with the local needs. Town planners Use this method to support involvement within the community in taking the weight of each aspect implemented.

7.0 Step to Conduct Public Engagement

There have a few steps for us to conduct for this public engagement is;

1. Find out the issues and problems

Identify the issues and problems about the land reclamation in Pantai Klebang through the secondary data and based on it we will give emphasized that issues during a public engagement with the stakeholders.

2. Identify and get to know the stakeholders

Make listing the stakeholder that will involve in this program and direct contact with them to inform about our program agenda in Pantai Klebang Melaka.

There are a few stakeholders who will involve in the process of public engagement in Pantai              Klebang such as;

1. Majlis Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah
2. Unit Perancang Ekonomi Negeri Melaka 
3. PlanMalaysia@Melaka
4. Pejabat Tanah Daerah Melaka 
5. Jabatan Perikanan Melaka
6. Jabatan Alam Sekitar Melaka
7. Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran Melaka
8. Local Community

3. Select the tools and methods

Need to prepare which one of the tools and methods to use as the platform for this public engagement to gain a response from the local people and the other stakeholder.

4. Spread about the program

Using the online platform such as Facebook and Instagram as a platform to give information about the date, time and agenda of the program where this will be more effective way to inform earlier to the local community about public engagement.

8.0 Conclusion

At the end of the public engagement, all the stakeholders involved in the public engagement in Pantai Klebang will see what are the reflection and impact from reclamation at Pantai Klebang, Melacca  to them and surrounding. Through community engagement, all the methods and steps required will be used in public engagement all benefits to the stakeholder by knowing about the perception of the local community toward their area and more gain social interaction one to another. Consideration of them is one of the main developing this place. By considering those in the development will give a positive impact to all parties.

Slideshow Video Presentation Link: https://youtu.be/SJR4mrSsFso

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PUBLIC PARTICIPATIONS: DEPRESSION AWARENESS AMONG WORKERS DUE TO PANDEMIC COVID-19 ISSUES

By: Muhammad Firdaus b Jasmi (Group Leader), Mohd Siraj Munir b Zainal Annuar, Ameen Ikhram b Mohammad Supian, Muhammad Rizqi Ardani b Asri, Mohd Hafizullah b Hassim, Tengku Luqman Ikram b Tengku Khairul Ismail, Nor Arenna bt Rosli and Nurul Azliqa bt Talib

 

1.0       INTRODUCTION

 

Public involvement may be any mechanism that actively includes the public in decision-making and gives due consideration to the public 's feedback in making the decision. Public participation is a process, not an event. It consists of a series of events and acts that the funding organization has conducted over the entire life of the initiative, both to educate the public and to gain input from them. Public involvement gives stakeholders (individuals who have an ownership stake in the company in a problem, such as persons, interst community, community members) the able to persuade decisions that impact their lives.

 

Agencies should not even be concerned that seeking community feedback means having to do "what the public wants." Actually, the public is comprised of a number of stakeholders with a variety of views and opinions on a matter. Generally speaking, there is no public at all. When carrying out meaningful public participation, an organisation must gather feedback from a broad range of different stakeholders The funding agency 's role then is to reconcile these issues and views, and refer critically the decision such that the public knows how their varied interests have been taken into account.

 

Not every public involvement is the same. Carrying out active public engagement means obtaining public feedback at specific points in the decision-making process and on specific issues where such feedback has real potential to help influence the decision or action. It's rarely appropriate or useful to ask the public simply "what do you want? ”. Such wide-ranging concerns would only increase expectations and potentially attract feedback into areas where no real impact is possible. Often the probability of influencing is very low, while at other times the public can be quite powerful. The sum of that possible impact is a crucial factor in creating a effective plan for public involvement.

The subject to still be discussed in this case is 'Public Participations: Depression Awareness Among Workers Because of PandemicCOVID-19 Issues'. In January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease,COVID-19, to be an international public health crisis. WHO reported that COVID-19 is highly likely to spread to other countries around the world. WHO made an analysis in March 2020 that COVID-19 can be described as a pandemic. WHO and public health agencies worldwide are working to control the outbreak of COVID-19. This time of crisis, however, is creating tension around the entire population. The concepts outlined in this document were established by the Department of Mental Health and Drug Use of the WHO as a set of messages that could be used in communication and during epidemic to promote psychological or mental well-being in different target groups.  Other than that, COVID-19, in so many geographical locations, has been and is likely to occur in people from many nations. Do not tie the disease to any specific ethnicity or nationality when referring to people with COVID-19. Be empathetic towards all those affected, in and out of any region. People are affected by COVID-19 have done nothing wrong and deserve our help, sympathy and kindness.

 

Photo: Graf Distribution of COVID-19 Cases According To Date Of Confirmation.

(source: COVID-19.moh.gov.my, 2020)

 

The cognitive elements of depression are known to most of us: grief, irritability , fatigue and exhaustion. Such fundamental interactions take over and turn the body under some circumstances, preserving energy and disrupting sleep, appetite and focus. Depression lays waste to our ability to effectively overcome issues, set goals and work.

The public at large acknowledges depression as a disorder of the brain. Our genes do affect how quickly we will slip into clinical depression, and for most of us mental illness is also greatly affected by environmental stress. The particular environmental stressors of the COVID-19 crisis indicate that depression will grow to an exceptionally large part of the population. The suffering is likely to be inequitably distributed.

Exacerbating the pervasive tension of this crisis, many of us experience major personal losses and reactions to grief, which are strong predictors of depressions. A further danger layer is introduced by the continuing and sheer unpredictability of these stress factors.

Numbers of deaths are expected to rise as this crisis unfolds. Some, particularly those on the front lines, would be exacerbated by acute experiences of grief, trauma and fatigue and put them at an even greater risk. People who feel under pressure is a likely experience for both you and many friends of yours. In the current predicament it is quite understandable to feel this way. Stress and the related feelings are by no means a reflection that you can't do your job or that you're weak. Managing your mental and behavioral health wellness is as critical as managing your physical health during this period.

 

2.0       AIM / OBJECTIVE / SCOPE

 

Aim:

To analyse the depressions awareness among workers due to pandemic COVID-19 Disease at Sri Petaling.

Objective:

1.   To study the background of workers at Sri Petaling that involves in pandemic COVID-19 disease.

2.   To analyses the steps of community engagement of pandemic COVID-19 disease on workers at Sri Petaling.

3.   To identify the method and techniques of community engagement at Sri Petaling.

4.   To identify the benefits and significance of community engagement of pandemic COVID-19 disease on workers.

Scope:

This study is to achieve the aim and objectives on workers that directly or indirectly affected by pandemic COVID-19 disease at Sri Petaling.

 

 

3.0 BACKGROUND OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

 

According to Zizan (2020) Sri Petaling is a suburb located in the southern part of Kuala Lumpur. Part of the federal territory Seputeh, this city near Bukit Jalil, Kuchai Lama, and Fun Park. Previously, the municipal area of 250 hectares has a reputation 'stench' as a garbage dump, but when the Bukit Jalil next selected as the venue for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, the dump is filled and turned into a playground and parking for sports events. Coupled with the opening of the Sri Petaling LRT Station and is strategically located at the crossroads of three major roads in the Shah Alam Expressway, Maju Expressway, and Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway, the city is rapidly grown into one of the most sustainable neighborhoods in the capital. The history of how Sri Petaling formed and his journey to becoming one of the top addresses in Kuala Lumpur.

Before municipal Sri Petaling launched, the area occupied by the rubber plantations. The government then launched a municipal plan in 1977, but its construction began in 1981. In the early 1980s, not many people want to stay in the area as far as Kuala Lumpur and touring. There is also limited access roads that enter the city. In the late 1980s, more families decided to settle in Sri Petaling built as the entrance to the two areas near the park happy and Salak South, also known as the Salak Selatan. After opening the two entrances, the city developed further and the population grew significantly.

Accoding to Ambrose (2020) the first COVID-19 death in Malaysia on March 17 was linked to the international tabligh gathering of 16,000 “Tabligh Congregation” activists. The Tabligh congregation is native to India and is the largest Muslim missionary group in the world, with followers in more than 80 countries and from all socio-economic backgrounds. The three-day rally was held at the Sri Petaling Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur at the end of February. For almost a month after that, almost half of the cases in the country were traced back to this event, which contributed to five generations of infection and four subclusters. And they are the ones detected and tested - there are likely to be many more. Assembly facilitates not only dissemination in Malaysia but also elsewhere. Of those who attended the tabligh gathering, 1500 came from other countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Australia, and Canada, causing an international overflow. Some Malaysian participants continued their journey to Sulawesi and New Delhi to attend other similar gatherings, continuing the next spread elsewhere.

According to Berita Harian Online (2020) a preliminary investigation by the Ministry of Health, most of the new findings are related to the tabligh assembly cluster at the Petaling Mosque held from February 27 to March 1. Total of 190 new cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infections were reported, mostly related to tabligh infection at the Sri Petaling Mosque, bringing the total number of positive outbreaks to 428 cases.

 

4.0       STEPS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

 

According to the Center for Economic and Community Development, there are seven (7) Engagement Plan Steps which are:

1.    Frame the Issues and Problems

 

The first step in developing a plan for community participation is to recognize the issue or challenges, to define the group’s choices, solutions and outcomes. COVID-19 causes disease ranging from common cold to more severe diseases such as Respiratory Syndrome of the Middle East (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain not previously discovered in humans. The 2020 Movement Control Order, commonly known as the MCO, is a cordon sanitaire introduced by Malaysia's federal government as a preventive measure in reaction to the country's COVID-19 pandemic of 18 March 2020. The directive was commonly referred to as a "lockout" or "absolute lockdown" in local and international media. As the MCO has been implemented, a lot of workers which involved directly or indirectly in Pandemic COVID-19 Issues faced depressions. Some of the workers has lost their jobs and some of them have to work overtime especially for front-liners.

 

2.    Identify the Engagement Goals

 

a)   To Inform

To inform which is what are the engagement for. For example, to inform the community that the engagement is to educate community about the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

b)   To Consult

For example, to consult the community about the dangerous of COVID-19 disease

 

c)   To Involve

The involvement of the community to educate about the COVID-19 outbreak is important

 

d)   To Collaborate

The collaboration between the organizations to conduct the community engagement is important

 

e)   To Empower

For example, the community engagement is to empower

 

3.    Develop the Engagement Project Team

 

It is a smart move at this point to build a project team or advisory company to help organize the engagement cycle and execute it. The roles of the department may include:

 

a)   The Selection of the Tools and the Designing of Process for Citizen Participation

b)   Identify and Recruit of the Participants

c)   Publicizing the effort

d)   Develop the Background Information

e)   Report the outcomes of the Process

f)     Make the Recommendations based on the outcomes

 

 

4.    Identify the Face-to-face Tools for Engaging Citizens and Stakeholders

 

There are a host of face-to - face methods and mechanisms to involve the audience and stakeholders. These resources serve different engagement goals which are the knowledge, consulting, involvement, cooperation or empowerment. The key is to pick the resources and processes for engagement that suit the goals and the capacity to execute the applicable techniques. In the section Choose Right Tools, some of the most common processes are identified.

 

Table: Increasing Level of Public Impact, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education

	To Inform	To Consult	To Involve	To Collaborate	To Empower
Public Participation Goals	To offer accurate and truthful knowledge to the public to help them consider the issues, options or remedies	Feedback from the public on research, options and/or judgments	Work alongside the public through the entire cycle to maintain mutual interpretation and evaluation of relevant problems and complaints	Partners with the public in every phase of the choice, including the creation and commitment of alternatives.	The public participants will hold the final decision making
Promise to the Public	The public Participants will be informed and up to date	We will hold you updated, respond to, consider and reflect about whether the decision was affected by public opinion	We will work with you to make sure the alternatives produced represent your interests and questions directly, and to provide guidance on the effect of public opinion on the decision.	We look forward to constructive guidance and creativity in the creation of approaches and incorporate your suggestions and feedback as much as possible in decisions.	The recommendations   and suggestion by the public participants will be implement
Example Tools	Some of them are the factsheets, websites and the open houses	Some of them are public comment, the focus groups, surveys and the public meetings	Some of them are the workshops, deliberate polling for example	Some of them are citizen advisory committees, consensus-building and participatory decision making	Some of them are citizen juries, ballots and delegating decisions

 

 

5.    Participant Recruitment and Retention

 

Create a retention and recruiting strategy with members outlining how you meet the target audience, train for it and interact.

 

6.    Plan for Evaluation

 

Determine your assessment strategy. What are you going to calculate whether you succeed? For the engagement team and the participants what represents success?

 

7.    Plan for Communication

 

How is your strategy to maintain the contact channels open between you and the individuals involved?

 

 

5.0       METHOD OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

 

Community engagement methods (according to Urban Institute) refer to a rigorous research methodology that includes the input, participation, and reflections of the people and communities at the heart of the issues we study. These research methods can start in the design stage and continue through the development of insights and recommendations, and they can range in engagement intensity from the most rigorous form, community-based participatory research, where community representatives are full partners in the research, to the more modest approach of community consultation, where community stakeholders and residents provide input at different points of a research project, especially at the end.

The method that we have choose to conduct our community engagement is  through web based engagement, the reason why web based engagement is suitable because while we are on the verge of pandemic covid-19 which needed us to stay home and out only when necessary, this web based engagement benefits us the most because we can still reach large numbers of people to engaged without needing them to gather at a place, instead they can participate at their own house, choose a convenient time and a convenient place.

Web-based communication channels include public chat boards and websites, Twitter, web polls, social networking, feedback and voting, and digital interactive television, but the one that that we chose is online discussion forums. This is because online discussion forums are open, multipurpose events lasting as long as we want. The three-stage model is structured with a minimum of advance preparation to protect information, stimulate ideas and establish dialogue between interest groups.

We are going to hold an online discussion group by developing an Web website, or a message board. It is here where users will have conversations shared in the form of posts. These differ from chat rooms, in that most texts are longer than one line of text and are briefly archived. And depending on the extent of access of the user or the layout of the site, the administrator may need to check a posted message before it is made accessible to the public. Forums have a specific set of terminology associated with them; for example , a particular topic is called a thread or series, and our forum is about Depression Awareness Among Workers Because of Pandemic Covid 19 Issues. Our target demographic for this forum is staff actively and indirectly interested with COVID 19 matters. The steps below on how to develop our platform online are:

1.    Select a forum topic

2.    Select a forum name

3.    Register your domain name

4.    Get a hosting account

5.    Get a forum script (we will get the most secure script we can afford)\

6.    Write a forum policy

7.    Hire moderators, this to keep our forum safe and civil

6.0       BENEFITS / SIGNIFICANCE

 

Community engagement is a way in which public bodies such as local councils and community groups can establish a working partnership. Strong community involvement would ensure that all parties will recognize the needs or concerns of community members and work on them, helping to bring about meaningful change.

Benefit of Community Engagement

 

      i.        Benefit of Community Engagement of Pandemic Covid-19

 

 

 

7.0         CONCLUSION

 

As the conclusion, the community engagement is one of a way to study and identify the actual issues that happened towards the community. As for this study, the community engagement would look into how the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic has been taking its toll on daily norms of workers in Sri Petaling, which is the area that have been strongly linked to COVID-19 spread in Malaysia. Through this community engagement, the target respondents will contributes in giving the clear image on how some group of people going through this pandemic, unprepared, as the whole world faces the new uncovered deadly disease which is highly contagious and taking peoples to practices a new way to survive.

 

REFERENCES

 

Ambrose, N. S. (2020). COVID-19 reveals cracks in Malaysia’s access to marginalised communities. Devpolicy Blog. Retrieved from https://devpolicy.org/covid-19-reveals-cracks-in-malaysias-access-to-marginalised-communities-20200506-2/

Berita Harian Online, (2020). COVID-19: Kes di Masjid Seri Petaling kluster baharu. Retrieved from https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2020/03/664769/covid-19-kes-di-masjid-seri-petaling-kluster-baharu

Center for Economic and Community Development. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://aese.psu.edu/research/centers/cecd

Community Engagement Methods at Urban. (2019, November 19). Retrieved July 21, 2020, from https://www.urban.org/research/data-methods/community-engagement-methods-urban

Covid19 Malaysia Updates. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2020, from http://covid-19.moh.gov.my/

Zizan, G. (2020). History of Sri Petaling. Propsocial. Retrieved from https://www.propsocial.my/topic/2102/history-of-sri-petaling-posted-by-propsocial-editor