Back to Center for Hartford Engagement and Research

Engaging Ethically with our Neighbors

Guidance on Principles for Ethical Community Engagement

This page highlights a document on guiding principles on ethical community engagement that can also be available for download with active links at bit.ly/CHERGuidance

At Trinity, we value our home in Hartford and our connections with our neighbors.  What does that look like on a day to day level? As you make Hartford your home, we hope you will engage with the city in a way that upholds the guiding principles described in Trinity’s institutional statement on community engagement, and incorporate the practical suggestions below.

When exploring the city for social or recreational visits, consider these tips:

  • Go beyond the “gentrified” areas of Hartford, and explore its cultural enclaves.  Nearly one-quarter of Hartford’s residents are immigrants from other nations, and there are countless opportunities to enjoy its ethnic restaurants, events, and activities.
  • Avoid referring to Hartford residents as “the locals,” or with other dismissive labels that reinforce an “us/them” perspective.  Acceptable terms include Hartford community members, Hartford residents, or city residents. 
  • Seek to understand the dynamics of urban growth and renewal and support 

When planning curricular and co-curricular experiences involving community engagement, Trinity’s Center for Hartford Engagement and Research (CHER) encourages attention to the below principles, in line with the goals identified in its 2021 evaluation (italicized below). We have received feedback on these guidelines from our advisory board, urban-engaged learning center directors, and community learning faculty. However, many groups across campus are participating in valuable community engagement efforts and we welcome further input. CHER can also provide resources and consultation about Hartford-based community engagement.

Here are some guiding principles

  1. Enhancing a culture of mutually beneficial partnership: Mutually beneficial partnerships recognize that all parties have important skills, knowledge, and/or resources to contribute, and promote collaboration as equals rather than involving charity or saviorism. To avoid explicitly or implicitly promoting saviorism, it is important to emphasize the expertise and resources that Hartford community partners offer students, staff and faculty. It is also important to identify partners’ goals and how Trinity engagement concretely responds to these goals. When community-engaged research identifies findings relevant to the Hartford community, sharing these findings in an accessible form allows more opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships.
  2. Celebrate Hartford and combat harmful stereotypes: To demonstrate our appreciation for Hartford, highlight the people, organizations, businesses, events, arts, cultures, and more that make the city a great place to live and work. Minimize problem-focused and deficits-based language which reinforces harmful stereotypes.
  3. Attend to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion on our campus and in our partnerships with Hartford: To advance these principles, promote a diverse representation of students, staff, faculty and community partners among those who are highlighted and contribute content. Content contributors and those highlighted should feel safe, respected, and valued.
  4. Seek fewer boundaries between campus and community by promoting a two-way flow on and off campus: Share places and events in Hartford where Trinity constituents can engage and enjoy the city. Equally important, share places and events on campus where Hartford community members can engage with the College. Reducing barriers requires providing clear information about accessibility, transportation, and other logistics.