Asset Based Community Development New Prospect Baptist Church Leaders Damon Lynch III February 2013

What is this ABCD? 2 Asset Based Community Development Needs to Assets Assets & Use  Gifts & Talents  Associations & Social Capital  Transforming Institutions How We Serve

Presentation Objectives 3 By the end of this presentation:  Each person will hear about the difference between needs & assets  Each person will have the chance to question how institutions operate in community  Each person will reflect on his or her own capabilities

Needs Map :: Community 4 UnemploymentHousing Projects Poverty Uninsured Illiteracy Child Abuse Truancy Crime Teen Mothers Gang Members Mentally Ill School Dropouts Homeless Delinquency Addiction

Needs Map Functions 5 Internalized labels Destroyed relationships Foundation funding decisions Foundation funding categories Power gained by pointing out needs Failure rewarded therefore dependency Hopelessness created

Y / N Welfare Form Examples 6 Inadequate housing? Limited job skills? Lack job seeking skills? Poor work history? Lack a high school diploma / GED? Lack training for a career goal? History of drug or alcohol abuse? Felony record? Losing benefits (food stamps, medicare, etc.)?

The Two Approaches 7 Needs  Services  Consumers  Programs Assets  Connect & Contribute  Citizens  People

ABCD Principles & Goals 8 Everyone has gifts For ABCD to work, everyone must give gifts Identifies and mobilizes the assets of individuals, especially those who are marginalized Builds relationships among community members, especially those that are mutually supportive Gives community members more roles and power in local institutions; citizens lead efforts

Asset Map :: Community 9 ChurchesBlock Clubs IncomeArtists Labeled People Elderly Culture Groups Youth Local Institutions Citizens’ Associations Gifts of Individuals BusinessesSchool Libraries Parks Community CollegesHospitals

Gift Survey :: Gifts 10 From New Prospect Baptist Church of Cincinnati, OH Introduction  My name is_________________. What is your name? Gifts are abilities that we are born with that can change  What positive qualities do people say you have?  Who do you give to? How do you give to them?  When was the last time you shared with someone else? What was it?  What do you give that makes you feel good?

Gift Survey :: Skills 11 Skills are talents that we’ve acquired in everyday life such as cooking and fixing things  What do you enjoy doing?  If you could start a business, what would it be?  What do you like to do that people would pay you to do?  Have you ever made anything? Have you ever fixed anything?

Gift Survey :: Dreams 12 Dreams are those goals you hope to accomplish  What are your dreams?  If you could snap your fingers and be doing anything, what would it be? Conclusion  Thank you; we’re talking to as many people as we can  The ultimate goal is to find a way to use those gifts in rebuilding the community  Can I get your full name? Address? Age?

Community Wheel 13 Individuals PhysicalInstitutions Associations EconomyStories Community

Wheel :: Associations 14 Associations Animal Care Groups Veterans’ Groups Block Clubs Business Organizations Charitable Groups Environmental Groups Health Advocacy Groups

Wheel :: Institutions 15 Institutions Schools Police Departments Hospitals Libraries Social Service Groups Nonprofits Museums

Wheel :: Economy 16 Economy For Profits Chamber of Commerce Banks Foundations Corporations Merchants Development Corporations

Wheel :: Stories 17 Stories Background & Personal History Like to Do Realizing & Engaging Skills Community Development Economic Growth Addressing Racism Including Those Who Are Marginalized

Wheel :: Physical 18 Physical Gardens Parks Playgrounds Bike Paths Forests Housing Vacant Land & Buildings Streets

Wheel :: Individuals 19 Individual Capacities Youth Older Adults Artists Welfare Recipients People with Disabilities Activists Ex-Offenders Parents

Social Capital Belief 20 The more relationships someone has in their community, more likely to:  Be Employed  Volunteer  Participate in Political and Civic Activities  Join Clubs  Participate in Child’s School Life  Be Honest & Trusting

Social Capital Questions 21 How does your work foster communication and relationship-building among the people you serve and residents in your community? What are the associations in your communities? What might they be able or willing to do to improve the community? How could you increase the associational life of your community and the people you serve?

Engaging Institutions 22 Their Nature – legal / fiscal / political Who controls the Institutions? Institutional assets in your community How can community gain more influence with these institutions? How can these institutions’ resources be put to use to strengthen the community?

Engaging Institutions (con’t) 23 What is your organization’s relationship to community residents? How accountable is your organization to the people and community it serves? How does your service define and engage constituents? What power do they have? How does your service strengthen community relationships and social capital? What can you do to make your service more asset- based?

Engaging Institutions (con’t 2) 24 Who do you hire from the neighborhood? Who do you do business with from the neighborhood? What neighborhood groups do you belong to or meet with regularly? How do you relate to schools, churches, and CBOs in your neighborhood? What do you feel you contribute to the neighborhood and what else might you contribute? Are neighborhood people on your board of directors, advisory groups, or committees?

The Transformation 25 Assets Focus on assets Opportunity identification Collective responses Focus: community Develop potential See people as “citizens” People are the answer Needs Focus on deficits Problem response Individual responses Focus: Individual Fix people See people as “clients” Programs are the answer

Steps to Transformation 26 Rediscover and mobilize the capacities of individuals and associations Put decision making power in the hands of those affected Practice ABCD internally and encourage, evaluate, and reward learning inside your organization Develop leadership inside and outside your organization

Steps to Transformation (con’t) 27 Be a team player inside and outside your organization Learn about and build relationships with other community stakeholders Think systemically about issues and with whom you can collaborate to impact that issue Put the community first

Personal Assets 28 Make a list of all those things you are good at with your brain Make a list of all those things you can do with your hands Make a list of all those things you are passionate about Make a list of important relationships in your neighborhood, community, and beyond – people you can ask to get things done HUMANHEART HANDHEAD

ABCD & Your Work 29 How will you utilize ABCD in your work? In your life?

Asset Based Community Development New Prospect Baptist Church Leaders Damon Lynch III February 2013