Faculty - Led Course | Any Level

Foundations of Community Building & Engagement

This course introduces four community participation strategies—services, building, engagement, and organizing—and helps you understand their distinct roles in fostering community collaboration. You’ll assess your organization’s current practices and explore how to shift toward more inclusive and empowering approaches. Through interactive discussions, you’ll learn how to align staff and resident roles, address power dynamics, and create a 30-60-90 day action plan to enhance community engagement. Whether you're new or experienced, this course equips you with practical tools to strengthen your community impact.

What You'll Learn

  • Compare four community strategies to understand their unique benefits and when to use each.
  • Assess your organization’s approach and create a plan to strengthen resident collaboration and leadership.
  • Build practical skills to engage, empower, and connect with residents for lasting community impact.

Course Schedule

Day 1:

Monday, May 4th, 2026
Session 1: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST | Session 2: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST

Day 3:

Wednesday, May 6th, 2026
Session 1: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST | Session 2: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST

Come Prepared for the Course

Welcome to this accelerated 4-day faculty-led course which is designed for optimal interactivity and engagement. Days 1 and 3, are each comprised of a total of 4 hours of live online instruction, divided into two sessions with a 1-hour break in between. Days 2 and 4 are dedicated to self-paced completion of all activities and assignments. All required coursework is due by 11:59 p.m. PT on the designated day of class.

Pre-Work & Preparation

Pre-Work & Preparation

Complete all pre-work by provided deadlines

Active Participation

Active Participation

Attend live sessions and engage in collaborative activities

Software Requirements

Software Requirements

Microsoft Word, PDF and Zoom proficiency required

Hardware Setup

Hardware Setup

Dual monitors, webcam, and file management capabilities

Your Instructor

Beckah Terlouw

Beckah Terlouw

Beckah Terlouw is passionate about building collaborative teams and reaching meaningful success. She excels at solving challenges, appreciating human uniqueness, and achieving wins with others. She believes our differences create advantages. She processes multiple scenarios and opportunities simultaneously, innovates existing resources, and prioritizes efficiency. Beckah works nationwide with organizations ready to increase results in strengths-based collaboration, community-centered evaluation, strategic community engagement, asset-based community development (ABCD), and project innovation. As a People & Project Strategist with Invisible Strategy Consulting, her client base includes public health, affordable housing, behavioral health, community initiatives, and arts organizations. Beckah is an AmeriCorps Alum, a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, an ABCD Facilitator, and holds an MPA in nonprofit management and a BA in sociology. When not working, you can find her hosting friends and neighbors, spending time with her niece, or obsessing over yard projects while listening to long-form podcasts.

What Learners Are Saying

"This course gave me exactly what I needed to get started in housing counseling. The practical tools and real-world examples made it easy to apply what I learned immediately with my clients."

Maria Rodriguez

Housing Counselor, Urban CDC

"As someone transitioning from social work into housing counseling, this course provided the perfect foundation. The content was incredibly relevant to my daily work."

David Chen

Community Development Specialist

"The instructor's expertise really shines through in every module. I appreciated the balance of theory and practical application."

Sarah Johnson

Housing Program Manager

Foundations of Community Engagement

Foundations of Community Engagement

The Foundations of Community Engagement micro-credential provides learners with essential strategies, equity-centered approaches, and practical tools to cultivate resident leadership and foster inclusive collaboration in communities.

Courses needed to earn this credential:

  • CB105: Foundations of Community Building & Engagement (in-person or faculty-led)
  • CB106: Laying the Groundwork for Effective & Sustainable Community Building (in-person or faculty-led)
Learn More

Ready to Get Started?

Join hundreds of housing counselors building the skills to create lasting community impact

$595
Enroll Now