Center for Civic Engagement
Delivering the strategies, techniques, and tools for identifying and engaging stakeholders in mutually beneficial ways.
The Keystone Value
Keystone’s Center for Civic Engagement responds to the challenges of today’s policymaking and community development through expert process design, trusted counsel, evidence-based teaching, and customized coaching.
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Give members of communities and organizations an active voice in the policy discussions that will have the most direct impact on them through stakeholder engagement and public involvement.
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Provide customized workshops and learning experiences that teach institutions and individuals how to build effective decision-making skills that lead to sustainable outcomes within and beyond their organizations.
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Design and facilitate collaborative efforts across a range of sectors, disciplines, and geographies to equip public-facing organizations with strategies, techniques, and tools for identifying and engaging stakeholders in mutually beneficial ways.
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Guide diverse groups and communities through candid and constructive dialogue about values that shape decision-making, negotiate power imbalances, and tackle meaningful issues.
Our Impact
Common Higher Ground Workshop
Keystone’s Common Higher Ground Workshop helps professionals in all sectors develop strategies and build skills for effective decision-making and problem-solving within and beyond their organizations. It allows participants to learn collaborative skills and strategies to increase effectiveness at reaching across silos, convening effective teams, and listening and responding to colleagues, constituents, communities, and other stakeholders. The workshop features learning and practice for each crucial stage of collaborative decision-making, and guides participants in building a toolkit of responses to difficult or sensitive situations. Learn More
Adaptative Facilitation Workshop
The Adaptive Facilitation Workshop is for those who want to leverage the wisdom and power of diverse groups to produce lasting solutions to complex questions. In this workshop, practical facilitation tools and techniques are underpinned with a solid grounding in theory, so workshop participants will know why they are effective and be able to select and apply them in differing situations. Participants will benefit from the expertise of Keystone practitioners, who bring decades of experience in the field, both in a workshop setting and individual coaching sessions. Learn More
Next 100 Mentorship Program
Communities that lack social capital may not have access to the right networks that can help propel their careers. The Next 100 Colorado Mentorship Program has worked to address this by connecting interested mentors and mentees through one-on-one meetings, group events, and an online forum and platform. The mentorship program will provide a home base site that has resources and a platform through which mentors and mentees can connect, supplemented by organized events that provide additional guidance and resources and offer the full mentorship network a space to connect and learn.
Collaborative Action Toolkit
Collaboration is a powerful concept that requires a methodical approach to be most effective. To streamline this approach and help other organizations foster collaboration, Keystone partnered with Dow to create a step-by-step guide called the Collaborative Action Toolkit that provides a roadmap for anyone to develop a more collaborative mindset and organize their stakeholders and collaborations. The Toolkit is an Excel spreadsheet providing a framework to navigate the internal and external planning, collaborations, and communications required in considering external engagement for a complex issue or project. Learn More
Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey
The Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey was created by the Colorado Tourism Office to create a one-year leadership experience for high-potential middle managers with a demonstrated commitment to a career in the tourism industry and a passion for sharing the Colorado experience. Under the purview of the Colorado Tourism Office, the program aims to strengthen Colorado’s competitive advantage through development of a stronger, more unified, engaged high-performance tourism industry that will be even better equipped to be the leading economic driver in the state. The Leadership Journey explores a variety of topics in tourism, including as related to recreation and destination management for Colorado’s popular public lands. You can check out the Keynotes Podcast episode about the Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey here.
Farm Labor Practices Group
The Farm Labor Practices Group (FLPG) is a multi-stakeholder initiative, formed in 2012, committed to improving labor practices on farms and thereby enhancing the farmworker’s experience. The FLPG brings together key voices representing different sectors and perspectives, including growers/farmers, worker advocates, manufacturers and others who sell agricultural products, and government agencies. The FLPG serves as a forum for constructive dialogue about farm labor practices in tobacco-producing states and collaboratively develops solutions through multi-stakeholder discussions and goal-centric programs. Keystone works with other organizations on facilitating this collaboration. Learn more.
Disaster Preparedness
Keystone has partnered with government agencies, communities, and stakeholders for over 15 years to develop planning and response strategies for disruptive events like natural disasters and pandemics. Preparing for and responding to widespread public health emergencies requires skilled collaboration between sectors, disciplines, organizations, and cultures that transcends jurisdictions and traditional boundaries. Some of the planning and response strategies include Emergency Preparedness for Anthrax, Pandemic Planning in New York for Vulnerable and At-Risk Populations, and Developing Guidelines for Mass Casualty Medical Management. Learn More
Wolf Reintroduction Dialogue
Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 directing the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to begin the planning process to reintroduce gray wolves west of the Continental Divide no later than December 2023. Keystone was selected by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to implement a robust public involvement effort that provides a variety of opportunities for Coloradans to engage, learn, and provide substantive input and feedback on the wolf reintroduction restoration and management planning process. Learn More
Just Transitions for Coal Communities
Market forces, aging infrastructure, and environmental regulations to modernize the electric grid are contributing to the closure of coal plants and mines across the country. The coal industry is often an economic engine for host or adjacent communities, especially in rural or sparsely populated areas, so “just transition” considers and works to mitigate the impact of coal plant or mine closures on workers, communities, and the environment. In 2019, Keystone partnered with Just Transition Fund to hold a convening for 15 utilities from all over the country to discuss best practices and lessons learned when it comes to the utility role in transitions in coal-dependent communities.
