Asset Based Community Development approach

Asset Based Community DevelopmentTurning your community’s lemons into assets

What are we going to learn?• You are the solution to your community’s challenges

• Knowing the ABCD framework will help you build stronger communities

• You will only learn what you already know

• ABCD training is full of stories to illustrate lessons

Sufi Story Moral first “You will only learn what you already know”

Troubled Town Visit 1 - No Visit 2 - Yes Visit 3 Aftermath – Wisdom is in our own community not outside

John McKnight Citizen Husband Father Dog owner Community Organizer University Professor

University Opportunity Working with the university allowed John McKnight to expand his work with communities

He could study communities beyond his neighborhoods in Chicago

He traveled all over America asking questions of different communities

ABCD is based on what he learned

Share We can share with you what he learned

These are things you probably already know

Difference between you and John McKnight is he has visited THOUSANDS of communities gathering stories

Ask Questions John McKnight would ask many questions of the thousands of communities he visited

“What have you done that has been successful in your community that you could share with others?”

Collected Stories They collected thousands of stories about what makes successful local initiatives

What are the building blocks they used?

What is the stuff they used? What are the “ingredients” they used?

Over and over the same 5 ingredients appeared

Book “Asset Based Community Development” Each story does not use all 5 ingredients

The guide reminds people what the 5 ingredients are and the stories communities told that make them successful

It is the most popular book on “community development”, selling over 95,000 copies and over 20,000 given away

5 Assets are a reality These 5 ingredients or ASSETS are a reality just like a map of Florida

The Assets are not a theory

The Assets are not invented

All communities contain the 5 Assets

First Asset - CITIZENS The first asset that appears in every story is the local residents = Citizens

Recognized as an individual

Landowners Tenants Employees

Second Asset - ASSOCIATIONS The second asset are: groups of local residents that come together

They are not paid They care Technical name is Associations

Neighborhood Associations Block Clubs Athletic Groups Prayer groups

Associations appear in lots of stories about successful communities

Third Asset - INSTITUTIONS The third asset are: groups of people that gather but are paid to do what they do to produce services

Organized like a triangle - hierarchy

Institutions CANNOT CARE Three kinds of institutions

For Profit – mom & pop Not for profit – goodwill Government – city hall, library

Fourth Asset - LAND The fourth asset is: the land and everything on it Infrastructure Buildings Streets Utilities

Fifth Asset – ECONOMY The last asset that we cannot draw is: the Economy Things that are shared Things that are traded Things that are purchased Things that are exchanged

5 Assets in Asset Based Community Development

CITIZENS ASSOCIATIONS INSTITUTIONS

LAND ECONOMY

IndividualAsset Based Community Development says that “people are the answer” the focus is: finding who has what assets how to connect assets how to get people to contribute their assets to help solve problems

Social Services vs. ABCDThe major difference between the social services model of looking at people and the ABCD model can be summed up as how each looks at the “individual”

Social Services model

the Social Services model says – we are clients (someone who is controlled) We are deficient We need to be fixed We are dependent The agency can fix us -- if we listen to them

Asset Based CD model The Asset Based CD model says – we are citizens (someone that contributes to the community) We can all make a contribution Community can take pride in itself Local relationships are important and improved

We are the answer We are equal with others – we work together

Alexis De Tocqueville:“In those places where one encounters very powerful and rich men, the weak and poor feel, as it were, burdened by their lowly status and since they discover no means of being able to recover equality, they lose any sense of hope in themselves, drifting below any standards of human dignity.”

Asset Mapping Individuals have:

Gifts Talents Dreams Hopes Fears

Focus on Gifts Everyone has them – we learn ways to hide them

Can remove negative labels – diabetic / drug addict / handicapped

Gifts are not gifts unless they are shared

Personal “assets” Gifts of the head – things you know about (birds, movies, art history)

Gifts of the hands – things you know how to do (carpentry, gardening, cooking)

Gifts of the heart – things you care deeply about (environment, education )

Asset Mapping Questions

exercise What gift (skill, interest, hobby) do you have that would surprise most people?

What makes you a great family member?

What “absorbs” you enough that you lose track of time?

What really good thing is going on in your neighborhood?

Why do asset mapping?

It is a guide for relationship building, not just data.

Knowing others in your community that have similar interests allows groups to gather for a common cause

Asset mapping is a very powerful tool in community building.

What motivates people?

Think about a book drive to help a youth center.

Someone that contributes may care about:

the kids having something safe to do

learning about a particular subject such as art

understanding the history of their ancestors

getting rid of some old books…

Roles for Individuals:

Leader – someone that can bring people together to work on an issue

Gift Giver – a person that is willing to contribute their asset to work on an issue.

Invisible Person – a person that has not yet been “discovered” or been convinced to use their assets to help achieve their dreams for or fix their concerns in the neighborhood.

Roles for Individuals Connector – an individual that is good at discovering what people care about and where their assets can be used. Gift centered Well connected Trusted Believe they are welcome

Associations & Institutions How they are organized will tell you what they are

Institutions are triangles and Associations are circles

You need to know what tools to use because each require different tools

You do not want to use a hammer to trim a tree

Citizen Hat vs. Professional Hat It is your “citizen hat” that is your wisdom hat

Your “professional hat” is used while you are at work not in your community

As a citizen you are recognized as a Person with a gift to give Mother/Father Neighbor Friend

Institutions & AssociationsHow are they organized?

INSTITUTIONS ASSOCIATIONSControl –

PaidConsent – Not

PaidProduce Goods & Services Care (Love)

Clients, Consumers Citizens

Needs Capacity

“WHO CARES?”• Care, unlike service, cannot be produced.

• Care is the consenting commitment one has for the other, freely given.

• Care cannot be mandated, managed or produced as a service can.

• One of the great errors in most policy making maps is the pretension that systems can “produce care.”

• Care is the domain of the associational community.

Glass ½ Full or ½ Empty In the symbolic example of the glass filled to the middle with liquid, the system needs the empty half while the community needs the full half.

• The service system needs a client. They need to create jobs and need your needs.

• The community needs a citizen with assets to contribute.

Why do Associations Fail? Associations fail when they confuse themselves as institutions and institutions as associations

Associations CARE Institutions CANNOT CARE

Decide on an answer and try to get people involved in doing the answer

Exclude people Hand over vision to an institution

Three Examples that make bigger Triangles Outreach – Triangle moves a small piece of them into the circle

Volunteering – Triangle gets citizens to volunteer to a triangle cause, they have to follow the rules of the triangle game

Citizen Advisory Group – Triangle assembles people around them to get them to do what the triangles want

None of these help the Circles and are not community building and not a partnership

Institutions How do we turn our institutions from a fortress into a treasure chest?

Respect they are organized for Consistency, Sustainability and Reliability

Produce Services, Cannot produce Care Strong communities make strong institutions … they can be community serving by local action

Purchasing, Investment & Banking, School Involvement, Accountability: Local people serving on Boards & Committees, Staff contributes time, resources and effort to community, Contributing use of space and equipment, Opening doors

Economic power, Grants

Successful Communities

Connect neighborhoods & use many gifts Created at the core an association of associations – Associations are the Lords

Citizens have the final responsibility of outcome & work – Institutions become the Servants with assets

Group of local citizens join together to create a vision with common goals

Discover what they have Discover what they want to do Decide how they want to do it Take action and DO IT

Implement vision, want support for contributions & production not for deficits

Needs of Community should be the last question

Association MappingExercise

What associations are you a member of?

Formal and Informal

Addiction Prevention and Recover Groups, Advisory Community Support Groups, Animal Care Groups, Anti Crime Groups,

Charitable Groups and Drives, Civic Events Groups, Cultural Groups, Disability/Special Needs Groups, Education Groups,

Elderly Groups, Environmental Groups, Family Support Groups, Health Advocacy & Fitness Groups, Heritage Groups, Hobby & Collectors Groups, Men’s Groups, Mentoring Groups, Mutual Support Groups, Neighborhood Improvement Groups, Political Organizations, Recreation Groups, Religious

Groups, Service Groups, Social Groups, Social Cause/Advocacy Issue Groups, Union Groups, Veteran’s

Groups, Women’s Groups, Youth Groups

Taking ABCD Home Determine community goal Find allies Determine additional players Decide how to bring them on board Identify assets to contribute from your institution, association, and/or individually

Utilize these resources to map and mobilize community

Come back to ABCD Intensive to share stories, successes and challenges

Questions & Answers

Open Discussion Time

You have been McKnighted For more information on ABCD go to website: www.abcdtraininggroup.org

For a copy of this presentation email: [email protected]

Thank you from your neighbors in Sarasota, Florida

JOE, DANIELLE AND DENISE