MOBILIZING ASSETS FOR COMMUNITY DRIVEN

DEVELOPMENT

Sept 23-October 11, 2013

Needs, assets and citizens

Coady International Institute 2013

ABCD focuses on the half full part of the glass where the strengths, capacities and assets of the community lie.

For too long community workers have only paid attention to the half empty part: people’s needs and problems

Asset- Based Community Development (ABCD): A focus on assets

Coady International Institute 2013

What happens when we only focus on the empty part of the glass?

Leadership emphasizes community “needs” in order to secure resources:

“Our people are poor, we need your help!”

Community members internalize what their leaders are saying:

“We are poor, we have nothing, we need help” (a deficit mentality)

A dependence on relationships with outsiders rather than relationships within the community

We need you to help us because we cannot help ourselves or each other

(dependency)Coady International Institute 2013

What happens when we focus on the full part of the glass?

Leadership emphasizes community strengths and recognizes the contributions of all community members.

“Look at all we have done in the past. We should be proud.”

Community members internalize what their leaders are saying and feel confident in their abilities and capacity to act.

“Here is what we can do. Lets use our skills to do more!”

Relationships and leadership inside the community are the forces that drive development activities. External actors are attracted to the community’s success. “Here is what we are doing. Would you like to contribute?”Coady International Institute 2013

ABCD thinking emerged from

a growing recognition of strengths and assets in every community

Coady International Institute 2013

And the idea that assets (no matter how few)…

….are resources for making livelihoods and coping with life’s setbacks

….provide us with a sense of identity and meaningful engagement with the world

….provide us with the capacity to act ….motivate us to get involved as citizens

or entrepreneursBebbington, 1999

….and so create agents of development

Coady International Institute 2013

Rural communities in Bohol, Philippines

Coady International Institute 2013

If you are looking for problems, you will find problems

Coady International Institute 2013

Seeing the strengths

Coady International Institute 2013

What do we mean by community assets?

Coady International Institute 2013

Stories Capacities, talents and skills of

individuals Associations and social networks Local institutions Physical assets and natural

resources Financial resources Cultural assets Rights and entitlements

What is the difference between an association and an institution?

Coady International Institute 2013

Associations Institutions

Compare and contrast

Focus on needs Responds to problems Charity or entitlement

orientation Emphasis on external

agencies Power comes from

credentials “Motivation to act”-

incentives,

terms of employment Goal is excellent service People are clients,

consumers Programs are the answer

Service Delivery Responsive investment

Coady International Institute 2013

Compare and contrast

Focus on needs Responds to problems Charity or entitlement

orientation Emphasis on external

agencies Power comes from

credentials “Motivation to act”-

incentives,

terms of employment Goal is excellent service People are clients,

consumers Programs are the answer

Focus on assets Builds from opportunities Investment orientation Emphasis on associations Power comes from

relationships “Motivation to Act” –

dreams, fears, being asked to contribute

Goal is community-driven development

People are citizens, members

People are the answer

Service Delivery Responsive investment

Coady International Institute 2013

Coady International Institute 2013

How do you know what you need unless you know what

you have?

Citizen-Led development

Citizens (not governments or NGOs) through their local associations are "self mobilizing, or "driving" the community development process

Communities are using their own resources first before trying to get external resources

Coady International Institute 2013

The parable of the blobs and squares:

http://vimeo.com/42332617

Coady International Institute 2013

“blobs” “squares”