Community Engagement is increasingly seen as crucial to implementing high quality, efficient and collaborative projects. In addition, given the field of study we are in business management and marketing), it allows both colleagues and students to apply their skills and abilities in real-life situations, be it as consultants,  board/committee members or team members of a project. The experience gained by actively engaging in a project is thus invaluable in a learning environment. Some guiding principles to ensure effective community engagement are as follows:

• Ensure colleagues provide supportive and facilitative leadership to stakeholders based on transparency;
• Foster a safe and trusting environment enabling stakeholders to provide input;
• Ensure stakeholders’ early involvement;
• Share decision-making and governance control with stakeholders;
• Acknowledge and address citizens’ experiences of power imbalances between professionals and stakeholders;
• Invest in stakeholders who feel they lack the skills and confidence to engage;
• Consider both stakeholders’ and the North-West University’s motivations.