Participatory Development Approaches Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)

Participatory Development Approaches Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Def: ABCD Asset-Based Community Development is an approach that recognizes the strengths, gifts, talents and resources of individuals and communities, and helps communities to mobilize and build on these for sustainable development. Asset-based Community Development (ABCD) is a powerful approach focused on discovering and mobilizing the resources that are already present in a community ABCD def ABCD is based on the principle of community-driven development rather than development driven by external agencies, where communities, public and private sectors work in closer partnership. Yet recognizing that there may also be disagreements between these three ‘stakeholders’ and that to date it is the community’s voice that has lost out ABCD def ABCD is a strategy for sustainable community-driven development. The appeal of ABCD lies in its premise that communities can drive the development process themselves by identifying and mobilizing existing, but often unrecognized assets, and thereby responding to and creating local economic opportunity. ABCD takes a “grassroots” approach to community development, drawing upon the best of what a neighborhood has to offer. It is a shift of focus on community development from “problem solving” to “asset building”. ABCD approach involves identifying and tapping all of the potential assets in a neighborhood. It operates under the premise that neighborhoods can drive the development process themselves by identifying and mobilizing existing (but often unrecognized) assets, thereby responding to and creating local opportunity for positive changes. Such unrealized assets include not only personal attributes and skills, but also the relationships among people that fuel local associations and informal networks. Mobilizing social assets can activate more formal institutional resources such as local government, formal community-based organizations, and private enterprise ABCD is an approach to CBD based on the principles of:- Appreciating and mobilizing of individual and community talents, skills and assets rather than focusing on the needs of the community or employing the problem posing approach which is an approach that blames the community for their state of despondency and lack of knowledge. It emphasizes on community initiated and managed projects unlike ideas implemented by the external agencies in the attempt to solve the community problems ABCD Builds its premise on:- Appreciative inquiry Social capital formation Full participation by the community members Economic development Strengthen civil society Facilitating ABCD ABCD is a process of self-mobilization and organizing for change. It enables individuals to mobilize the resources that are available for their retention and effectively manages them for their own benefit Change agents have to facilitate community’s realization of these potentials without causing dependency of external aid. ABCD and CDD employ similar guidelines in facilitating sustainable community development. ABCD is facilitated through:- Collecting stories Organizing a core group Mapping the capacities and assets of individuals, associations and local institutions Building community vision and plan Mobilizing and linking assets for economic development Influencing activities and external investments and resources Collecting stories It builds confidence in the community Employing informal discussions and interviews brings people’s experience of successful activities talents, skills and projects leads to rediscovering gifts, skills, talents and the assets that people have. It also strengthens people’s pride in their achievements This celebrations of achievements and realization of what they have contributes in building self confidence in the abilities and capabilities Organize a core group Leaders are easily identified during the process of collecting stories. They prove to understand the community better and protect the needs of the community members. A group of committed community members is identified and commissioned to do asset mapping and explore the available opportunities Each person involved in the group may have individuals who have personal interested in the progress of their assignment and when called upon, are self-motivated to act Capacity mapping Capacity and asset mapping is more than data collection. For sustainability, give the community members an opportunity to do the mapping exercise. This will give them a wider scope of what they have, how they can manage it and how they can replicate if need be. This will give them a wider scope of what they have, how they can manage it and how they can replicate if need be:- Identify associations. This is the first asset. Association relationships are the driving force behind community action. Identify individual skills, capacities and talents: Appreciate what people can do, their contribution and abilities Local institution assets: NGOs FBOs CBO… Physical assets and natural resources The local economy The associations existing in the community are the main driving force behind ABCD. There is capacity building and empowerment for better performance. This is a strategy directed towards community-driven sustainable economic development. Convening broad representative groups to build a community vision and plan A community vision and mission is formed. Strategies to remain focused on the mission are put in place. Objectives are clearly marked and policies formulated. This serves as guiding parameters for better performance. Mobilizing assets for community development Continuous process in the community. Enables identify community assets for economic development and accepted channels of communication Associations are encouraged to advocate for their interests and space for economic development. Mobilizing individual assets is inevitable for sustainable development Influencing activities, investments and resources from outside the community to support Asset-Based, locally defined development Realize local resources before outsourcing for external resources. This empowers the community to effective manage their own resources and ensure sustainability. External resources are sought out of the demand not greed by the community project leaders. Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a philosophy that was developed by John P 'Jody' Kretzmann and John L McKnight from the Northwestern University in Illinois, USA. The key principles of ABCD were laid out most extensively in the book Building Communities from the Inside Out. A glass as being half full rather than half empty. See assets rather than needs Guiding Principles for ABCD Everyone has a gift Build relationships in the community. Leaders recruit their colleagues People care about something. Motivation to act must be identified Listening to conversation. Ask, ask, and inquire A people-centered organization is the driving force to community engagement. Problem-solving in institutions. Servant leadership Key assets in ABCD Individuals : people, gifts and talents Associations: small informal groups Institutions: Paid groups of people who generally are professionals who are structurally organized are called institutions. They include government agencies and private business, as well as schools, etc. They can all be valuable resources. The assets of these institutions help the community capture valuable resources and establish a sense of civic responsibility. Physical assets: physical assets both private and public assets Connections: networks