As a part of ASTC’s Community Science Initiative, we have been maintaining a library of relevant resources for science center and museum professionals interested in community science. Community science is a way of working on issues at the intersection of science and society, which centers community priorities, strengths, and leadership to co-create solutions.
ASTC’s Community Science Framework defines five Approaches to Community Science:
- Dialogue & Deliberation – Public dialogue and deliberation programs on how science, technology, and innovation intersect with societal issues (learn more about this Approach, and find real-life examples and practical resources in our Dialogue & Deliberation Toolkit)
- Community-driven Citizen Science – Projects that address community interests and questions using research approaches co-developed by non-professional scientists
- Civic Engagement & Policymaking – Using research as an input for collective action and making policy and governance decisions to advance communities’ goals
- Open Innovation – Open challenges, competitions, and calls to action that use science and technology to solve difficult problems
- Participatory Research – Community participation in the design and implementation of research initiatives
This batch of new resources is focused on the Civic Engagement & Policymaking approach, to celebrate the upcoming release of our Civic Engagement & Policy Making Toolkit (stay tuned!). The following resources are roughly organized from the most foundational, early-stage, and practical resources to the more advanced and theoretical.
New Civic Engagement & Policymaking Resources
This brief (10-15 minute) resource discusses the values that underpin civic engagement and defines various “buckets” of civic engagement practices. This resource is primarily aimed at funders supporting civic engagement but is accessible for anyone seeking a broad overview of the topic. This resource also shows some of the language, framing, and interests of funders, to help science centers and museums to better align proposals with their interests.
Participatory Asset Mapping: A Community Research Lab Toolkit
This toolkit explains the concept and purpose of participatory asset mapping and provides practical tools to help you put it into practice. Participatory asset mapping is a process through which you identify resources in your community that could help reach a civic goal, including organizations you may want to collaborate with, physical locations and venues, and community expertise and capabilities. This process can be an excellent starting point if you are starting to do civic engagement work for the first time or focusing on a topic new to your organization.
Tools for Project Planning and Community Development: Stakeholder* Analysis
This is one of several practical tools developed by the Grassroots Collective to support the development of community-oriented projects. The Stakeholder Analysis process helps project leaders to identify people who will be impacted by a community project, those who have influence over the goals of a project and make strategic decisions about who to partner with and how.
*In some contexts, the word “stakeholder” is associated with the history of colonization. Due to this connotation, consider replacing it with a more affirming and accurate term. Appropriate alternatives for your context might include collaborator, participant, interested/affected/relevant party, or partner.
This document provides clear and straightforward recommendations for producing an impactful strategic convening of cross-sector partners. This will guide you through considerations from determining whether a convening is the right tool for your goals, through the specific considerations for designing a convening, to ideas for maintaining a community after your convening.
Civic Engagement Infrastructure & Ecosystem: History, Strategies, Typology
This technical paper by FCCP explores the evolving landscape of nonpartisan civic engagement through an eight-point typology, catering primarily to funders. It outlines strategic focii such as grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, and civic technology, offering insight for practitioners to align community science endeavors with philanthropic interests in civic engagement.
Bonus – Resource Update!
Scientist-Community Partnerships: A Scientist’s Guide to Successful Collaboration
In 2023, the Union of Concerned Scientists updated this collaboration guide, which was initially released in 2016. This guide is an excellent starting point for practitioners who are new to the process of community collaboration. It describes how scientists and experts can develop mutually beneficial community partnerships. The update includes a revised framework for effective collaboration, newly articulated guiding questions to enable meaningful engagement, eight new case studies of exemplary scientist-community partnerships, and an enriched list of tools and resources.
What’s next?
Over the coming year, we will be regularly adding new resources to the Resource Library. The next round of resources will be focused on how Community Science can be applied to planetary health topics like climate change, biodiversity, and pollution. If you are interested in ASTC’s approach to planetary health, you can learn more and join our efforts for the Seeding Action Initiative.
Keep your eye out for the Civic Engagement & Policymaking Toolkit, which will be going up on our website this summer!
If you’d like to stay informed about the Community Science Initiative, you can sign up for our mailing list, and join our next Community Science Clinic to meet and discuss with like-minded professionals working on Community Science projects around the country.