One service Solberg Creative offers is a somewhat nebulous-sounding piece: Community Engagement. What does that mean? It can take a wide variety of forms. In general, it’s activities that help connect our clients with the communities around them. It’s especially important for large-scale infrastructure projects that can affect a community’s day-to-day life. Engagement helps the community understand what’s going on, what to expect in the near future, and why things are happening.
Over the past couple of years, Solberg Creative has subcontracted to a company with a contract with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT). The project is to take a large section of a major freeway and rebuild and redesign it for many reasons. Clearly, major road construction has a community impact. Residents need to be informed so they can understand what detours will happen when. Businesses need to understand what’s happening to communicate with their employees and customers. The more people know, the better they can plan and manage the inconveniences.
Adding Education to Engagement
But for projects like this, there’s another segment of the community that’s worth reaching out to: School-aged youth, anywhere from kindergarten to high school. Given that most of that demographic can’t drive, it’s reasonable to wonder why bother doing outreach with them. Simple: They no doubt notice what’s going on, they hear the adults around them talk about the inconveniences, and there’s a significant learning opportunity.
Solberg Creative worked with transportation experts and engineers to bring information and education into local schools that were affected by the construction. It opened up possibilities to explore STEM topics with all ages and highlighted not only the work being done, but the people doing it, and the types of jobs and careers involved, especially for the older students.
Here is how we approached doing this type of community engagement.
Younger Students
At the elementary school level, we wanted to share the roadwork information and encourage the students to bring it home. We also wanted to seed career interest that could take root as they continue in school.
A typical approach for elementary students included discussions of why roads and bridges need to be rebuilt, basic information about what an engineer is and why there are many types of engineers involved in road construction. We provided fun facts including the amount of cement being used, how many miles of drainage pipes, etc. Students also learned about the importance of a new pedestrian bridge that was built with a ramp rather than only stairs, allowing people with disabilities to use it. Drone footage gave them a birds-eye view of the road and the bridges undergoing construction.
Young kids have shorter attention spans and like hands-on activities, so outreach to this group included a “build a bridge” project with toothpicks and marshmallows.
Middle School
Much of the same information was covered for middle school students, but with more detail and technical information. The older students used a MNDOT kit called “Bridge in a Bag,” which is more sophisticated than toothpicks and marshmallows to give a more direct engineering experience
The goal here was similar to that of engaging with the elementary students–let them know what was happening, why, and how–while also providing more information about future engineering careers.
High School
For sessions with high school students, the focus shifted to two specific aspects:
Project Overview
- Safety: Why some ramps were eliminated for safer merging, adding flyovers
- Drainage, bridges, pedestrian bridges, EZ Pass lanes
- Roles of engineers on the project
Engineering roles were the gateway to a deeper discussion of STEM careers focused on engineering and road design/construction.
Focus on Engineering Careers
- College course requirements
- Engineering certifications needed
- Typical career path (public and private sector)
Never Too Young for Engagement
While many additional community engagement efforts focused on reaching adults and helping them understand the ins and outs of a multiyear road construction project, taking time to engage with kids and teens is equally valuable. They’re curious, interested, and often aware of what they see outside their home and school bus. Information may make it home to their families. And learning how and why things are done can spark interest in future explorations, including possible career paths.
Interested in how your work can benefit from community engagement? Contact us for more details.