Community Partnership Development: Integrating Community Asset Mapping within 4-H Afterschool Jennifer Snook-Hall, 4-H Youth Development Specialist Keli Tallman, 4-H Youth Development Specialist Iowa 4-H Afterschool In-Service November 29, 2006

Session Topics What is community capacity building? What are the benefits of community capacity building? How can you begin mapping your community assets/partnerships? How have after-school/out-of-school time programs integrated community assets/partnerships within their programming outreach efforts?

What Are Your Community’s Assets? Take a few minutes to think about the strengths of the 4-H community that you represent. On the note card, identify the community partnerships that help support these strengths.

Community Capacity Building An asset-based community development framework Emphasizes a community’s strengths and resources Relationship driven between and among community partners Community asset-map versus community needs map

Importance of Mobilizing a Community’s Capacities… Youth grow, learn, work, and play within a variety of community settings Youth connect with a variety of positive adult role models Availability and breadth of youth programming is strengthened Resources are expanded including staff, volunteers, materials, program space, funding, etc. Quality youth development programming and youth-adult partnerships become a shared responsibility Community unity is reinforced Programs are more likely to be sustainable

Community Asset Mapping Mobilizes community resources in the areas of… Individual Citizens –Family Members –Friends –Neighbors Citizen Associations - Kiwanis - National Honor Society - Rotary Institutions - Agencies - Businesses - Organizations

Mapping Your Community’s Resources At your table, brainstorm the citizens, citizen associations, and institutions that make-up your 4-H community You may need to think of your 4-H community in terms of a county, town, city, or neighborhood Record the brainstormed community partners/resources on the newsprint

Linking to Community Partners Select one community entity that your County Extension Office would like to create a partnership with within the next three months. Describe and be willing to share with others at your table how the newly created partnership would strengthen your County Extension Office’s 4-H Afterschool/out-of-school time outreach efforts. How would youth be meaningfully involved with the partnership?

Integrating Community Assets/Partnerships within After-School/Out-of-School Time Programming Quilting enrichment program with middle school students Service learning fundraiser for children at a hospital’s burn unit Nutrition and gardening enrichment project with elementary school students

For More Information If you would like to receive technical assistance on mobilizing community partners in support of quality after- school/out-of-school time opportunities for children and youth, please contact Keli Tallman, State Youth Development Specialist, at or at to schedule a visit.

PowerPoint Resources Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing A Community’s Assets (John Kretzmann and John McKnight, 1993) The Asset-Based Community Development Institute Beaulieu, L. Mapping the Assets of Your Community: A Key Component for Building Local Capacity. SRDC Series #227. Mississippi State, MS: Southern Rural Development Center, ( Community Toolbox (

Resources Continued Community Guide to Helping America’s Youth ( Reconnecting Youth & Community: A Youth Development Approach (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 1996) Partners in Community Leadership: Youth and Adults Working Together for Better Communities (North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, 1993) Community Programs to Promote Youth Development (by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, 2003)