Authentic Engagement.
Enduring Transformation. 

The Center for Authentic Community Engagement bridges evidence-based strategy with soulful presence to help people and institutions create lasting change.

Building Capacity for Authentic Engagement

Authentic engagement isn’t just an event — it’s a practice. At the Center for Authentic Community Engagement, we equip individuals, organizations, and community partners with the skills to design and hold spaces where people feel safe, heard, and valued. Along the way, we cultivate the practices and mindsets that uncover deeper wisdom, surface real challenges, and open the way to solutions that are both practical and transformative.

Services

All services are highly tailored to your emerging needs. Every partnership begins with listening, so we can design an approach that is responsive, relevant, and impactful — whether that means guiding leaders and teams through thresholds of change, catalyzing program development, or equipping people to facilitate authentic community engagement.

Curious about how these services could support your organization or your own leadership journey? 

Let's start a conversation!

Set Up a Free Discovery Call

Partnering for Transformation: Stories in Action

Leadership & Coaching

At the Center for Authentic Community Engagement, leadership development is designed to support teams at thresholds of growth and change. In one engagement, the Center facilitated a 7-session series for an executive team navigating major growth. Frameworks such as the TED* model, the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, and the Infinity Loop program cycle were woven into topics like navigating change with empathy, creating cultural norms, giving and receiving feedback, and sustaining resilience. Leaders received applied assignments between sessions, with curated tools housed in a custom online platform. Outcomes included clearer roles, stronger trust, and a cultural shift toward collaboration — providing a solid foundation for the organization’s strategic direction.

Program Development & Catalytic Consulting

The Center for Authentic Community Engagement partners with organizations seeking to embed authentic engagement into their programs. One international nonprofit began with a bilingual assessment of current practices, which revealed opportunities to strengthen their approach. The Center then facilitated the organization’s board retreat, where members explored how community voices could shape programs. The retreat sparked renewed excitement and produced clear next steps, including staff and volunteer training co-led with community partners. Since then, the organization has presented its engagement approach at conferences with peers in the field.

Trainings, Institutes & Workshops

The Center for Authentic Community Engagement develops trainings that combine theory, practice, and real-world tools for immediate application. For a national health institution, the Center designed a 3-part online series, Engaging the Wisdom of Veterans, based on the 11 Liberating Practices of Authentic Engagement. The course blended self-paced modules with live office hours and interactive facilitation sessions, supported by curated workbooks, worksheets, and resource guides. Content ranged from facilitation basics (agenda design, ground rules, simple network analysis) to advanced practices such as recognizing group dynamics and uncovering hidden cultural norms. The training continues to spark results long after completion — participants often share how they’ve successfully facilitated new kinds of conversations using the tools and practices learned.

NICE TO MEET YOU

Paige Backlund JarquĂ­n, DrPH, MPH

A change agent, bridge builder, and master facilitator, Paige has over 20 years of experience working in, with, and for communities across the globe. Her greatest passion is supporting groups and individuals working at the forefront of social change, helping them forge stronger bonds with one another and gain a deeper understanding of the communities they serve.

I believe communities are lifted by inclusivity, thrive on diversity, are sustained on justice and equality, and require equity. The Center for Authentic Community Engagement was founded around these core understandings, and they impact the work we do with every community we engage.

What it's like working with The Center of Authentic Community Engagement

"Excellent, creative, surprising. The whole day was not only well-designed but left room for inspiration!"

- Workshop Participant

"Very adaptable to where the group was going, tweaking activities as needed - felt very organic, like you had endless possibilities for what the day could become."

- Retreat Attendee

"You track respect and create space as a facilitator. Very safe, mutual environment. An excellent way to learn!"

- Training Participant

A Note on Authenticity

Authenticity isn’t about doing more or doing better—it’s about being fully present and intentional in how we work together. It invites us to step off autopilot, connect more deeply, and create spaces where all voices can contribute meaningfully.

When we focus on how our work feels—not just on the outcomes—we open the door to creative solutions, shared success, and unexpected breakthroughs. Authenticity trusts that every interaction, even the challenging ones, can move us toward the next evolution of our shared vision.

Become a Community Engagement Facilitator

Are you interested in facilitating authentic community engagement?

The Center for Authentic Community Engagement offers individual training for anyone who wants to do what we do. You can learn in person, or you can access self-paced online courses, and live training and coaching (both in-person and via Zoom).

Set Up a Discovery Call with Paige!