As we've learned, community engagement can look different depending on the sort of work you're doing. The skills and training of a researcher seeking to do a community-engaged research project are not the same as those needed by a student organization that tutors children at a local middle school. There is no one size fits all model for community engagement. It is also important to understand that different communities have different needs or expectations for volunteers. For example, if you're volunteering with elementary children, you may require some training about how to work with children. Or if you're working with an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, they likely expect you to already know how to address people by their chosen gender pronouns.

Hopefully through this module you've begun to learn more about your entry point into community engagement and what it means to pursue social change. So much of this work is internal and involves increasing our understanding of ourselves. In other modules, you can learn more explicitly about the importance of self-awareness. But for now, be sure you are taking some time to reflect and think about the sort of work you want to do and the relationships you want to have. On the next few pages, you'll find some different lists of principles that can guide community engagement. Read through these lists, making notes on what sticks out as you go, and consider how those principles apply to you and the work you will be doing (or want to do) with community. Image of a city street with sun rising from behind buildings