mobilizing assets for community driven development sept 23-october 11, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
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
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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
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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
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Rural communities in Bohol, Philippines
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If you are looking for problems, you will find problems
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Seeing the strengths
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What do we mean by community assets?
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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?
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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
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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
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The parable of the blobs and squares:
http://vimeo.com/42332617
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“blobs” “squares”