How to Create Equitable Partnerships between Technical and Community Experts

As the popularity of community engagement grows among technologists and academics, it is vital to ensure that they engage communities in ways that benefit the people they claim to serve and do not cause harm.

It is a collaboration between the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program (STPP) at the University of Michigan and three community based non-profit organizations: Detroit Disability Power (DDP), Detroit Justice Center (DJC), and We the People Michigan (WTPMI). The Playbook brings together advice from staff at DDP, DJC, and WTPMI who have had a range of both positive and negative experiences with researchers, academics, and technologists, along with insights developed from STPP’s Community Partnerships Initiative (CPI) and up-to-date scholarly literature.