Establishing Context: Strategies

The purpose of this first step is to gain understanding of the work environment. This was done through both investigating the specific area of the community, as well as drawing comparisons with the larger context of other communities in similar situations. It was important to identify several key factors:

  • Community Demographics, Culture, and History
  • Community Size, Organization, & Leadership
  • Community Involvement
  • Physical Environment
  • Stage of Project

This identification process involved gathering insight from discussions with liaisons, observations on site, conversations with community members, and visits to other settlements. Once context had been established, the team became comfortable and confident in the working environment and began to form more clear and feasible project goals, both long and short term.