1. International Fellowships Program
Global Leadership for Social Justice Forum (GLSJF) Asia Region
Assets Based and Citizen-driven Development (ABCD)

2. Asset-Based and Community/Citizens driven Development (ABCD)
Success stories
“Participatory approaches”
CD process is still, to a large extent, driven by NGOs and other external players, not by community members themselves.
“Participation without ownership is just good theatre” -S. Alensky
ABCD course draws upon what has been learned from community-driven success to build the case for a more asset-based approach to community development which takes as its starting point existing community capacities.
Recognizes the strengths, skills, gifts and resources of individual and communities and help
communities to mobilize and build on these for sustainable development.
Assets…are not simply resources that people use in building livelihoods:
they…give them the capability to be and act. (Bebbington, 1999)
No “blueprint” for carrying out an ABCD approach.
Principle behind the methodology: communities that recognize their assets and opportunities are more likely to be motivated to take initiative to mobilize and strengthen their asset base.
A combination of tools and methods for helping communities organize themselves to identify, mobilize, link, and organize their assets to leverage assistance from external institutions.

3. Community Assets
Communities of place: rural, village, urban neighborhood
Community of interest: artists, teaching, research, managing philanthropic of policy based institutions;
financial, natural resources, individual skills, leadership, institutions &
associations…
Tools to identify and link these assets with opportunities?

4. MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1:
Participatory Approaches to Development
SECTION 2:
Community-driven Development
SECTION 3:
Needs, Assets and Citizens
SECTION 4:
Theoretical Influences on Asset-based Approaches
SECTION 5:
Asset-based Community Development as a Methodology
SECTION 6:
The Role of Local Government, the Business Sector and NGOs
SECTION 7:
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation with an Asset-based Approach
to Community Development
References and Related Material....…………………………………………81
APPENDICES:
When Bamboo is Old, the Sprouts Appear: Rekindling Local Economies
through Traditional Skills in Hanoi
Papers:
- From Clients to Citizens: Asset-Based Community Development as
a Strategy for Community-Driven Development
- Who is Driving Development? Reflections on the Transformative
Potential of Asset-Based Community Development
- Does ABCD Deliver on Social Justice?

5. Go to the People
Live with them
Learn from them
Love them.
Start with what they know,
Build with what they have.
…But with the best leaders
When the work is done
And the task accomplished
The people will say
“We have done it ourselves”
- Lao Tsu (China 700 BC)
Use what you have to secure what you have not – Moses Coady 1935

6. How did it get started?
Aug 2005: staff from Coady Institute met FF Vietnam Rep and Minh in Hanoi
Sep 2005: FF Vietnam Rep and Minh visited the Coady Institute.
April 2006: 14 alumni attended the 6-day Asset Based Community-driven Development (ABCD) in Vietnam as an in-country alumni activity;
July 2006: 2 alumni joined 9 other Vietnamese sponsored by FF Hanoi to attend the in-depth 3-week ABCD course at Coady;
Nov 2006: Annual alumni meeting in Hanoi, two alumni shared the ABCD approach with 30 new alumni. IFP Vietnam Alumni proposed to conduct annual ABCD training as one of the alumni activities, and suggested it be a component of LSJ program.
Feb 2007: Regional brainstorming meeting in Chiang Mai with Asia/Russia Director and IPs
April 2007: Vietnamese alumna attended Thailand Alumni meeting to share her experience with ABCD approach, Minh talked about the GLSJF, a new phase of LSJ.
June 2007: CEEVN finalized training dates & budget with resource organization, worked with ASF as logistical manager. ASF secured venue at Khon Kaen U.
Aug 2007: finalized budgets, submitted 1 proposal to Secretariat (includes participants, alumni facilitators, and all parties)
Sep 2007: CEEVN supported sending two Thai alumni (and one South African) to the 3 week course at Coady
Oct – Nov 2007: CEEVN announced GLSJF info to IP s; ASF sent out travel forms
Dec 2007: In-country alumni activity: ABCD training held at An Giang University, (Mekong Delta) where three alumni are working: 6 Thai and 19 Vietnamese alumni attended, also Jaruwat, Prof. Buapun of Khon Kaen U who would serve as local resource person.
Alumni met with ASF staff, CEEVN, and resource people at the end to plan GLSJF
Jan , 2008: advanced planning with alumni facilitators and local resource persons
Jan 23 – 25, 2008: alumni facilitators and IPs on the ground to finalize program and logistics with Resource people.
Jan 25, 2008 – participants arrive
Feb – March, 2008: reporting

8. 2 countries

11. In-country Alumni Activities
ABCD Training in Vietnam, Dec 2 – 8, 08 for Thai and Vietnamese Alumni who do not qualify GLSJF
resource
resource
Outside resource:
Coady Int’l Institute as lead
facilitator
Local resource people:
- IFP Vietnam Alumni to connect
w/ local community
- Vietnamese Coady alumni to
co-facilitate
Int’l
Partner
Managed by
3 Vietnamese
alumni at An Giang U
Logistics
CEEVN

12. In-country post fellowship training on ABCD in Dec 2008 in Vietnam for 2 countries helped prepared for GLSJForum in Khon Kaen
Prepare a local resource person to connect us with two villages
in KK for practicum,
Identified 2 Thai and 3 Vietnamese alumni who can lead activities and co facilitate at GLSJF
Equipped 6 Thai alumni from North East Thailand to serve as interpreters for the field practicum
ASF staff to familiarize with the training and know what logistics would be required

13. International Fellowships Program
Global Leadership for Social Justice Forum (GLSJF) Asia Region
Thailand
Philippines
Vietnam
Indonesia
India
China
Jan 25 – Feb 2, 2008 Khon Kaen University Thailand

14. IP participants ASF CEEVN International Fellowships Program
Global Leadership for Social Justice Forum (GLSJF) – Asia Region Jan 25 – Feb 2, 2008
Co-facilitators
IFP/ABCD Alumni
(Thailand & Vietnam)
Resources: Coady Int’l Institute &
local Khon Kaen U faculty
Logistics
Program
Contents &
Overall
Organization;
Grantee
Int’l Partners
Secretariat
ASF IP
CEEVN
participants

15. ASF CEEVN International Fellowships Program
Global Leadership for Social Justice Forum (GLSJF) – Asia Region Jan 25 – Feb 2, 2008
Co-facilitators
IFP/ABCD Alumni
(Thailand & Vietnam)
Resources: Coady Int’l Institute &
local Khon Kaen U faculty
Logistics
Program
Contents &
Overall
Organization;
Grantee
Int’l Partners
ASF
Secretariat
CEEVN

16. Global LSJ Forum Outside resource: Alumni Logistics Int’l Partner
Secretariat
Int’l
Partner
Logistics

17. Networking > > > > energy
Regional focus > > > > deepening experience and learning
Build on the richer pool of alumni after GLSJF Khon Kaen and experience:
Should there be another ABCD organized for new alumni
who would be interested in learning about this approach?
2. Another GLSJF with a different content: micro-finance?
3. Help alumni who have come up with ideas for conferences/seminar themes
to organize and implement GLSJF? 4.