Community Engagement

People knocking on doors Building strong communities requires developing leadership, forming relationships, and consolidating thoughts and ideas into structures that can create sustainable change. Community engagement is a people-focused process that increases the collective financial and human capacity of neighborhoods to improve the quality of life for the individuals who live and work there. Community building includes incremental and measurable projects, programs and activities that lead to positive, long-term, systemic change.

The Community Engagement Professional Certificate Program builds the conceptual frameworks, specialized tools, and interpersonal and technical skills professionals need to develop community organizations and leaders that can effectively guide the transformation of their communities.

Enrollment in this certificate program is open effective Feb. 2024

Effective Feb. 2024, the revised and revamped Community Engagement (CB) Professional Certificate Program is open for enrollment. The updated Certificate Program includes brand new and updated coursework informed by feedback from practitioners and subject-matter experts. If you are currently enrolled and have questions, please contacts us at [email protected].

See Below for Program Details:

Candidates
How to Earn a Professional Certificate
Program Coursework

Candidates

Interested individuals at all levels of responsibility may enroll to earn a professional certificate in community engagement.

This program is particularly valuable for:

Community organizers and outreach staff.
Residents and key volunteers.
Staff, board members and executive directors of community development and community service organizations.
Program evaluators and funders.

Participants will gain the skills to:

Serve as agents for change in their communities.
Implement strategic and entrepreneurial approaches to community challenges.
Recognize and measure the impact of increasing social and economic diversity.
Understand the role that race and class play in community development.
Recognize institutional barriers that can prevent fair asset distribution.
Develop useful coalitions with organizations and residents at the grassroots level.
Measure the impact of community work.
Plan and implement an organizing campaign.
Work with, energize and lead volunteer efforts.

How to Earn a Professional Certificate

Individuals seeking to earn a professional certificate in community engagement must:

Submit the enrollment form.
Complete all coursework and practical exercises within three years.
Any supplemental work.

It is possible to complete all program requirements in as few as three training events. With prior approval from the training division staff, candidates may receive credit for relevant courses taken no more than two years prior to enrollment.

For answers to questions, call 800-438-5547 or email [email protected].

Program Coursework

The courses emphasize a hands-on approach, combining lecture with case studies, site visits, small-group exercises, and other participatory learning methods.

Core foundational courses:

Any one in-person, self-guided, or instructor-led online CB course other than those listed above or CB200:

(So any other CB course except a webinar)

Capstone evaluation course: CB200 Community Engagement: Measuring Its Impact

Upon completion of the coursework, a participant must submit a practicum. The practicum is an exercise that demonstrates how the participant applies what he or she has learned to their professional and/or volunteer work in community building and organizing.