Community engagement is an essential way for organizations to connect with the people they serve and the wider community. As part of the Age Friendly London Network (AFLN)/Child & Youth Network’s Community Plan’s (CYN) focus on inclusion and belonging, a group of partners including Learning Disabilities Association London Region, the London Public Library, Northwest London Resource Centre, La Ribambelle, All Kids Belong, and other Child and Youth Network members collaborated to identify gaps in existing resources and service lists. This work supports the exchange of best practices among service providers and strengthens approaches to inclusive engagement.
What you will find here is a resource library of engagement best practices and equitable outreach support services for providers and practitioners. This page is currently being piloted within the community, please share your thoughts and feedback with us using the links below!
Community Engagement
The AFLN/CYN Community Plan brings together partners, residents, and service providers around a shared vision of a city where people of all ages feel supported, connected, and able to thrive. Grounded in collaboration and equity, the plan outlines how partners work across systems to strengthen basic needs and essential skills, foster inclusion and belonging, and build resilient, connected neighbourhoods. Through coordinated governance, focused working groups, and backbone strategies that emphasize leadership, learning, collective action, and accountability, this Plan serves as a roadmap for turning shared values into meaningful action. The collective efforts of Network members ensure London remains a healthy, caring, and vibrant community for children, youth, adults, and older adults alike.
Explore the Community Plan to learn more!
How we Define Community Engagement
Community Engagement is the process of involving peoples of a community with lived experience in all facets of actions and decisions that will directly affect them. This may include program design, service delivery, research, evaluation, training, policy development, and advocacy. Effective community engagement yields improved outcomes when implementing changes in the community. Within the AFLN and CYN, partners follow the guidance of 'nothing about us without us'.
Community Development Best Practices
Presentation
Community partners from the London Public Library, Pillar Nonprofit, Learning Disabilities Association of London, Northwest London Recreation Centre, Merrymount, and La Ribambelle worked together to build a space to showcase and highlight the strengths, resources, and relationships that exist across our community. They built the presentation to make community development work more connected and collaborative, and we want your feedback and thoughts — please share them with us.
How-to-Use
This presentation is most effective when it’s a shared process. While one person can complete the activities independently, it’s best done with a colleague, coworker, or teammate who brings a different perspective or area of expertise.
Link to Community Development Best Practices Presentation
Hard to reach groups
Community development and engagement efforts can sometimes prioritize groups that are easier to access and engage, as these approaches can make it easier to demonstrate participation, outcomes, and measurable success. However, this can unintentionally exclude individuals and communities who face greater barriers to participation. This resource highlights populations that may be more difficult to reach and explores factors that can make participation more challenging. The goal is to support more inclusive planning and outreach by helping organizations consider who may be missing from engagement efforts and how to better connect with them.
Resources are available in London
Below is a list of available resources aimed to help you be your best community developer.
Last updated: Feb 2026
Link to Resource Repository - Colour Coded
Link to Resource Repository - Black & White
Feedback, thoughts, anything we should add?
This resource is currently in development and being piloted. We welcome your thoughts and feedback to help improve it.
Community Developers Feedback Survey
To contact us or for any other questions or feedback outside of the feedback from email: cyn [at] london.ca (cyn[at]london[dot]ca)
Local London Resources
Connex Ontario
This resource offers 24/7 assistance with mental health, addiction, and gambling . Multiple modes of contact are available, such as telephone, live chat, text, or email.
Southwesthealthline
This website provides a multitude of updated health services in your community, as well as local news, events, and job opportunities
211.ca
This is both a telephone line and website that offers 24/7 services across Ontario. This includes government, community-based, non-clinical health and social services
Atlas London
Assistance for youth ages 12-29 to find services in the community, such as housing, basic needs, relationships, mental health and substance use, employment, education, healthcare etc.
Family Info
This website assists with finding services for: Childcare, Parenting, Education, Health & Wellness, Recreation etc.
Also includes locations that EarlyON programs run near you
Information London
Basic Needs Services, Government and Community Services, Services by Population etc
London Public Library
Offers several services and programs, and is a great place for local community news, events, tips, etc.
811.ca
This is a free resource that provides assistance for any health-related concerns. Registered Nurses (RN) available via telephone or chat.
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