The Community Engagement Intensive

An 8-week professional development program for people who engage communities. Live, online, interactive, and unlike any other. The program runs for 2 hours per week, across 8 consecutive weeks, starting on Tuesday 27 January 2026.

About the Program

Building on the success and content of the Community Engagement Bootcamp - already completed by hundreds of professionals around the world (and still available on-demand) - The Community Engagement Intensive takes your learning to the next level.

This live 8-week experience adds the interactive workshop element participants have been asking for - the opportunity to connect directly with Becky Hirst and peers, apply learning in real time, and build confidence through collaborative practice.

Over eight weeks, you’ll strengthen your understanding of contemporary engagement models, stakeholder mapping, storytelling, communication, diversity, inclusion and evaluation. You’ll even bring your own project to workshop during Project Week, applying what you’ve learned in a supportive environment.

Why this program is different

There’s nothing else like this in the engagement field.

While traditional courses deliver theory over a few days, The Community Engagement Intensive gives you time to absorb, apply and reflect - week by week.

This is professional development that sticks:

Deep learning across 8 interactive sessions
Practical application through your own project
Connection and accountability through a live learning cohort
On-demand access to all HeyEngage courses in addition to the live sessions, so you can revisit the content anytime

It’s the most comprehensive, contemporary, and human-centred engagement training available today - delivered by one of Australia’s leading engagement practitioners.

Schedule & Topics

The Community Engagement Intensive runs over eight consecutive Tuesdays, from 27 January to 17 March 2026, 10.00am–12.00pm Adelaide time (ACDT).

(Equivalent times: Sydney/Melbourne 10.30am-12.30pm; Brisbane 9.30-11.30am; Perth 7.00-9.00am; Auckland 12.30-2.30pm; Los Angeles Monday 3.30-5.30pm; New York Monday 6.30-8.30pm.)

Week 1 - Tuesday 27 January 2026 - Principles & Models of Community Engagement
Kick off your journey by exploring the foundational frameworks that underpin great engagement - from the ladder and the wheel to more contemporary participatory continuums. You’ll leave ready to confidently apply theory to your own projects and “walk the talk” of authentic engagement.

Week 2 - Tuesday 3 February 2026 - Who’s Who: Knowing Who to Engage
Discover who really needs to be involved in your work and why. Using Becky’s PICNIC model for stakeholder mapping and analysis, you’ll learn how to uncover hidden audiences, prioritise participants and design more inclusive processes.

Week 3 - Tuesday 10 February 2026 - Tools & Techniques for Storytelling & Rich Conversation
This session dives into practical tools for sparking meaningful dialogue — both face-to-face and online. You’ll explore creative ways to draw out stories, ideas and experiences that inform genuine participation.

Week 4 - Tuesday 17 February 2026 - High-Quality Communication
Great engagement depends on great communication. Learn how to craft clear, consistent and compelling messages that connect with your audience, inspire trust and sustain participation throughout your engagement journey.

Week 5 - Tuesday 24 February 2026 - Engaging Diversity & Inclusion
Move beyond the usual suspects. This week focuses on techniques for reaching underrepresented and seldom-heard communities, and creating engagement approaches that are equitable, accessible and representative.

Week 6 - Tuesday 3 March 2026 - Designing a Welcoming & Inclusive Engagement Environment
Transform your engagement spaces - physical or virtual - into environments where everyone feels safe and valued. You’ll learn how tone, setup, facilitation and accessibility all shape people’s willingness to participate.

Week 7 — Tuesday 10 March 2026 - Project Week - Workshop Your Own Project
Time to put it all into practice! Bring a project you’re working on (or one you’d love to start) and workshop it with Becky and your peers. You’ll gain ideas, insights and confidence to strengthen your real-world approach.

Week 8 — Tuesday 17 March 2026 - Evaluation - Using Meaningful Metrics & KPIs to Assess Impact
Finish strong by learning how to measure what matters. Explore practical ways to evaluate your engagement using metrics and KPIs that demonstrate impact and tell the story of your success.

What you get:

When you join The Community Engagement Intensive, you’ll get:

8 live, interactive group sessions with Becky Hirst - covering the full Bootcamp curriculum in an engaging, hands-on format with discussion, activities and feedback.

Access to all HeyEngage on-demand courses. Note that the live sessions and the on-demand modules cover the same core content - but the live program adds connection, conversation and real-time practice.

A downloadable PDF 100+ page workbook.

A network of other professionals working in the field of community engagement from across the country - and maybe even the world.

TESTIMONIALS

What people say about our live programs

"Inspiring Delivery"

“Becky’s energy and real-world stories make learning engaging, practical, and genuinely inspiring.”

"Practical Tools"

“Clear, useful tools I could apply straight away - it changed how I plan engagement.”

"Great Connections"

“I loved connecting with like-minded people and sharing ideas in a supportive space.”

Who should join The Intensive?

Local, state and federal government staff

Early or mid-career community ENGAGEMENT practitioners

Policy, planning and infrastructure professionals

City managers, elected members and advisors

CONSULTANTS WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT

Anyone seeking to embed best-practice engagement in their work

Meet your trainer

Becky Hirst

Becky Hirst is a community engagement strategist, author of For the Love of Community Engagement, and trusted advisor to government and organisations across Australia and the UK.

With 26 years of experience, and having involved more than 50,000 people in conversations about things that matter, Becky brings warmth, humour and authenticity to every learning experience.

Her approach blends compassion with practical skill - reminding us that engagement is both an art and a discipline.