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Page 32 Community Engagement Pear Street focused the majority of its time and energy on engaging community members. Community engagement is the crux of a successful strategic plan, because it ensures that the plan is community-driven. Community engagement establishes a clear methodological through-line between what the majority of residents need or want and what administrators (or implementers) of the plan will focus on. When done well, community engagement builds or strengthens relationships between residents, local government officials, and other organizational partners; it engenders trust and mutual ownership in the goals and implementation of the plan; and it sows the seeds for ongoing collaboration and meaning-making as specific projects and policies are implemented, evaluated and revised. A primary goal of the community engagement portion of the Age-Friendly San Leandro planning process was to listen to experiences and gather thoughts and ideas from a broad and diverse set of residents, especially individuals not typically engaged in local policy making. The Senior Commission had conducted an age-friendly community survey in 2022 that received 307 responses, but it was not well-represented by residents of color. As that remained a knowledge gap, the planning team considered it essential to understand the priorities of communities of color, including Asian and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and Latinos, and African Americans, as part of this round of community engagement. Listening Sessions Between March 2 and April 11, 2024, Pear Street, with outreach and facilitation support from Senior Commissioners and the Human Services Department planning team, conducted eight (8) focus groups (or “listening sessions”) with San Leandro residents (see Figure 4 on page 34 for more information). City of San Leandro | Age-Friendly Action Plan