In 2020, the critical importance of behaviour change became apparent.
Especially in the sectors of health, mental health, disaster resilience – all which featured so heavily during 2020 – engagement can and does change the way people think and act.
By engaging with the community, governments can generate new solutions to:
- Improve mental well being
- Identify the best ways that communities can respond in times of disasters including fire, flood, cyclone or heat wave
- Improve the way clinicians and health consumers and their carers deliver models of care
- Respond to wicked problems such as reducing domestic violence
Put simply, community and stakeholder engagement to develop behaviour change programs, saves lives. It improves community relationships and well being. Behaviour change is not about driving an agenda, it’s about providing the right information so people can make informed choices that help them and others.
The key to successful behaviour change programs is to engage with community members and stakeholders to fully understand the problem, then gather their ideas from multiple perspectives and groups who can work together to develop behaviour change programs.
