G ROWING C OMMUNITY THE ABCD WAY ! Revd Al Barrett (Hodge Hill, thisestate.blogspot.com

STARTING WITH THE ‘ISSUES’...? Talk to each other! What are the ‘issues’ in your neighbourhood?

T HE ‘ASSETS’ OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD RESIDENTS The skills, knowledge & passions of local RESIDENTS ASSOCIATIONS The power of local ASSOCIATIONS INSTITUTIONS The resources of public, private and non-profit INSTITUTIONS PLACES The physical and economic resources of local PLACES STORIES The STORIES of people’s lives and of their evolving community

T HE ‘ASSETS’ OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD RESIDENTS The skills, knowledge & passions of local RESIDENTS ASSOCIATIONS The power of local ASSOCIATIONS INSTITUTIONS The resources of public, private and non-profit INSTITUTIONS PLACES The physical and economic resources of local PLACES STORIES The STORIES of people’s lives and of their evolving community What are the ‘assets’ in your neighbourhood? Reflecting back... did anything feel different?

A S TORY “I’m not going to tell you anything you don’t already know” “You can’t know what you need until you know what you already have” We need to talk to each other!

ABCD & THE ALTERNATIVES... Needs-based approaches Start with ‘problems’ People are ‘victims’, ‘recipients’, ‘clients’ Look outwards to find solutions; funded according to level of need / deprivation Labels people according to need; ‘professionalised’ solutions extract people from community Focused on targets, end results / outcomes ABCD Starts with ‘assets’ People are active agents for change Builds community ‘from the inside, out’ Focuses on relationship- building & collaboration, drawing on strengths, building communal resilience Journey is as important as destination – discovering and learning together

12 DOMAINS OF PEOPLE POWERED CHANGE

‘COMMUNITY’ & ‘SYSTEMS’ What can we do with local people power? What can we do with help from outside agencies? What do we need outside agencies to do? What would enable ‘Austin’ to grow old here?

‘O UR FLOURISHING NEIGHBOURHOOD...’

in the love of God with all our neighbours across Hodge Hill

W OMEN ’ S G ROUP

Open Door together turning ‘I need...’ into ‘I can...’ O PEN D OOR

T IME B ANKING

COMMUNITY LUNCH

ABCD STEP - BY - STEP Stop, look, listen! Discover the assets! Find the ‘connectors’ Uncover the associations / networks Unearth the gifts! – HEART, HEAD, HANDS... Connect people & passions Grow associations Appreciate what’s great... and unlock what might be possible... What can we do with local people power? What can we do with help from outside agencies? What do we need outside agencies to do? Money – to ‘match’ Celebrate!

What could we start here today?! U NCOVERING THE ‘ ASSETS ’ / GIFTS

‘S PIRITUAL P RACTICES ’ OF COMMUNITY - BUILDING Patient ‘presencing’ Rule of St Benedict ‘Stability’ ‘Conversion’ ‘Obedience’ ‘Hearing to speech’ Radical renouncing ( kenosis )

Providing Possessing Performing John V Taylor, ‘The Christlike God’ (1992)

‘S PIRITUAL P RACTICES ’ OF COMMUNITY - BUILDING Patient ‘presencing’ ‘Hearing to speech’ Radical renouncing ( kenosis ) Vulnerable gratitude

‘S PIRITUAL P RACTICES ’ OF COMMUNITY - BUILDING Patient ‘presencing’ ‘Hearing to speech’ Radical renouncing ( kenosis ) Vulnerable gratitude Limitless celebration Expansive friendship Painstaking reconciliation Enacting hope Building ‘home’ together

“If you have come here to help us, you are wasting our time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with ours, then let us work together.” (Native Australian activist group, c.1970) ‘Theological’ reflections...?

S TORIES... AND QUESTIONS...

How might we connect from here? ABCD toolkit ( work in progress! ) ABCD toolkit ( work in progress! ) A network of Christian ABCD practitioners A network of Christian ABCD practitionerswww.facebook.com/groups/ABCDfaith/ Contact me: Contact me: Here in Southwell/Nottingham...? Here in Southwell/Nottingham...?

Next steps...? What kind of training / support might be helpful? What kind of training / support might be helpful? Who’s up for giving it a go?! Who’s up for giving it a go?!