This resource provides a definition of “authentic resident engagement” and describes working principles to be used throughout the policy development process.
Introduction
The Healthy Food Policy Project (HFPP) team and its Advisory Committee members developed this definition and these working principles to provide a template for authentic resident engagement in food access policy change. In many communities, the first step in this process is reaching out to community and base-building organizations that already have deep and trusted relationships with residents. Absent these organizations, it may be appropriate to engage directly with residents, but only if there is a long-term commitment to engagement. The definition seeks to explain what HFPP means when using the term “authentic resident engagement” and the principles are tools to be used throughout the policy development process.
Acknowledgements
This resource was developed for the Healthy Food Policy Project at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. We thank the following external reviewers: Xavier Morales, Ph.D, MRP, Executive Director at The Praxis Project, and Melanie L. Plucinski, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Policy Analyst at the Public Health Law Center.
Suggested Citation
Food Access Policy Change Through Authentic Resident Engagement, Healthy Food Pol’y Project https://healthyfoodpolicyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/Authentic-Resident-Engagement.pdf (last visited May 29, 2024).
