Asset Based Community Development

1. Asset Based Community Development Turning your community’s lemons into assets

2. 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

3. 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

4. John McKnight • Citizen • Husband • Father • Dog owner • Community Organizer • University Professor

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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?”

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. First Asset - CITIZENS • The first asset that appears in every story is the local residents = Citizens • Recognized as an individual • Landowners • Tenants • Employees

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. 5 Assets in Asset Based Community Development • CITIZENS • ASSOCIATIONS • INSTITUTIONS • LAND • ECONOMY

17. Individual Asset 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

18. Social Services vs. ABCD The 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”

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.”

22. Asset Mapping • Individuals have: • Gifts • Talents • Dreams • Hopes • Fears

23. 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

24. 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 )

25. 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?

26. 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.

27. 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…

28. 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.

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. Institutions & AssociationsHow are they organized?

33. “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.

34. 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.

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. Association Mapping Exercise 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

40. 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

41. Questions & Answers Open Discussion Time

42. You have been McKnighted • For more information on ABCD go to website: www.abcdtraininggroup.org • For a copy of this presentation email: joe@moraca.org • Thank you from your neighbors in Sarasota, Florida JOE, DANIELLE AND DENISE