build your community development toolkit

The complex challenges facing our communities today require us to think and work differently. We need to turn things upside down and shift our thinking to focus on what is already in our communities that we can build from through an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach. This approach recognizes the power that communities have to create change and helps people to form the trust and connections necessary to create and sustain vibrant, inclusive communities.

This workshops provides an introduction to Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) as a people-centered approach to planning. The ABCD approach looks for and starts with people’s gifts and strengths (assets), when these assets are connected, they can then address the problems and challenges in their communities.

Join Heather Keam as we work through the foundations and principles of ABCD, including new and improved processes, and how to center community in your programs and activities. This workshop is an introductory session for those who are new to ABCD or want a refresher as ABCD has changed a lot over the past 10 years.

what will you learn?

Participants will work through the four actions of building a foundation of assets, connecting and identifying the functions of a community. There will also be an opportunity to explore how an ABCD lens can be applied to your current work. Participants will learn about:  

• ABCD as a people-centred approach: ABCD is a community-driven development (bottom-up) approach. It’s about focusing on strengths and not deficits or needs to develop programs and plans.   

• Resources in a community: ABCD is about uncovering the six assets or resources that communities have that are used to enhance local well-being.   

• Asset mapping: ABCD approaches are iterative and emergent. While there are no methods that we can prescribe, there are several practices that communities around the world have found helpful.  Asset Mapping is one way to uncover hidden community assets.  

• The functions of a community: nine functions are critical features of local natural community work. They are bottom-up, hyper-local, and citizen-led.