Outreach and Engagement for Coastal Resilience Efforts

Have you ever faced any of these common project challenges?

• A need to accommodate multiple, sometimes conflicting uses at a single site.
• Lack of community understanding of coastal resilience benefits.
• Difficulties finding effective ways to interact with local communities.

How can you tackle these challenges?

Outreach and Engagement

• Informs people about the need for the project and its benefits.
• Ensures communities have a voice in the project.
• Empowers community members to serve as long-term environmental stewards.

See how NFWF grantees have used outreach and engagement:

• Cleveland Metroparks:
  Restored an urban waterfront to meet community needs.
• Vida Marina at the University of Puerto Rico:
  Implemented a community-based dune restoration project.
• The Water Institute of the Gulf:
  Worked with local stakeholders to identify nature-based solutions in coastal Louisiana.

Learn their strategies for success – Strategy 1:

Encourage community involvement during all project phases.

• Learn about community needs and concerns at the project onset.
• Look for ways to apply community knowledge during the project.

Learn their strategies for success – Strategy 2:

Use multiple communication methods to connect with communities.

• Tailor your approaches to accommodate the ways people prefer to get information.
• Consider videos, signage, community town halls, virtual meetings, and social media posts.
• Translate information for non-English speaking communities.

Learn their strategies for success – Strategy 3:

Think outside the box.

Use interactive virtual and in-person methods like site visits, walking tours, participatory modeling, and scavenger hunts.

Want to learn more?

To see examples of how NFWF grantees have used outreach and education to strengthen their efforts, visit:

• Cleveland Metroparks
• University of Puerto Rico
• Water Institute of the Gulf