Why Involve Communities

Community participation and involvement is important for any organisation, community or group who want to make improvement and change in their community. This may be: when new projects are suggested or developed; to gather information to provide evidence; or to ensure people understand and act on the needs or issues of community experiences. 

When communities are involved and feel part of change, decision making is better, resources are used more effectively and outcomes for the community improve, through better services and democratic participation. 

The Scottish Community Development Centre highlight that, if community participation is done well, it can lead to:

• Services that are planned, developed and delivered in a way that are influenced by and respond to community need;
• People who find it difficult to get involved are able to influence the decisions that affect their lives;
• The various strengths and assets in communities and across public and private sector agencies are used effectively to deal with the issues communities face; and
• New relationships are developed between communities and public sector bodies which build trust and make joint action possible.  

Shetland Partnership’s shared vision is that:

“Shetland is a place where everyone is able to thrive; living well in strong, resilient communities; and where people and communities are able to help, plan and delivery solutions to future challenges.”