Putting People First: Lessons from Our “Applying Human-Centered Design to Community Engagement” Training in Portland
What does it take to build trust and equity into community engagement?
On September 16 in Portland, we explored this question with attendees during our full-day training on Applying Human-Centered Design to Community Engagement. This workshop-style training equips participants with tools to build stronger partnerships, foster inclusive spaces, and lead more collaborative community engagement processes.
Why Portland
Our place-based approach brings trainings to communities across the country. In Portland, that meant a room full of people who already collaborate as partners, clients, and contractors, and who have navigated similar challenges. Sharing space at The Smile Station, with lunch and coffee from nearby small businesses, made the day feel rooted in the community we were helping participants learn to better engage.
Inside the Training
Together we moved through four interactive modules:
Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design
Power and Privilege
Targeted Universalism and Asset Framing
Human-Centered Community Engagement Strategies
Each module invited participants to apply new concepts to their own work. From running utility advisory groups to serving on city council to planning bus reroutes for a transportation electrification initiative, we talked about moving at the speed of trust, tactics to improve engagement, and the value of working with partners who belong to the communities you’re trying to reach.
As one attendee shared:
“This training is better than any conference I have attended and helped me come out with actionable recommendations for projects that I’m currently working on. I would highly recommend people come with their colleagues so you can also live brainstorm ideas for shared projects. Big thank you to the facilitators for creating such an engaging and respectful environment!”
Powered by Local Partners
We are beyond thankful to TRC, LD Consulting, Backen Consulting, Encolor, and Brio for making this workshop possible. Their support allowed us to host the training in the heart of the community and live our values of supporting local businesses.
What’s Next
In keeping with The Shared Space Project’s belief that we are all teachers and all learners, participant feedback will help us refine the training for our next session in Chicago on December 1, 2025. We’ll meet at the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s (MEEA) office in the Lyric Opera Building. Thank you to MEEA for sponsoring the space and providing coffee.
To learn about sponsorship opportunities or to register for our Chicago training, click here.
Where should we go next? Drop us a note at joinus@thesharedspaceproject.org.