the focus of the discussion remains largely on the extent to which Australian public mickey mouse painting crocband clog servants are, or should be, skilled in the art of citizen and stakeholder engagement.
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model of empowerment of participants to identify their own goals and aspirations and participate in forming pathways to improve their circumstances’. mickey mouse painting crocband clog That is, the personal capabilities of citizens are considered an integral dimension of the engagement process and attended to respectfully. When it comes to the pursuit by public service agencies of engagement with marginalised groups and socially excluded citizens the epithet ‘one size fits few’ seems appropriate. Many Australians’ situations are not congenial to the development of these capabilities and dispositions. Social exclusion and other deprivations are very likely to discourage many citizens from engagement, especially where inequalities of power and status prevail. This exacerbates the ‘problem of engagement’ so often lamented by those public servants, and others, who seek to initiate it.
Fortunately, there is a growing body of research around effective engagement strategies, especially for engaging with ‘hard to reach’ groups and individuals. Although surveying this research is beyond the scope of this paper, a brief initial consideration of some of the issues seems warranted here. Such attributes depend largely on citizens’ socialisation and education. It seems reasonable to suggest that they are more likely to arise where people have enjoyed, for example, exposure in their families and schools to the discussion of preferences and ideas; the development of good communication skills and literacy; and a basic understanding of Australia’s system of government. An induction into the civic dimensions of life through sporting and cultural clubs, voluntary associations would also help. The issue of how well Australian citizens are themselves equipped to engage in collaborative policy development and service design is a vexed one. Although the issue receives some attention in this paper,
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