The Glass IS Half Full and What is ABCD Anyways?

I've been throwing around the acronym ABCD quite frequently on this blog and I wanted to provide a crash course on ABCD a.k.a. Asset Based Community Development.  Ready?  Let's begin...

What is Asset Based Community Development?

ABCD is the practice of seeking out the strengths and gifts that are within a community for the purpose of building a sustainable and healthy community. The approach focuses on building the assets of local residents, highlights the power that local associations have within a community, and reminds that the role of local institutions is to support the work of community.  

So that's it in a nutshell.  Of course there's a lot to unpack in that definition and let me venture to do so by using the next three blogs to share the top three reasons why I have been compelled to see ABCD multiplied in more neighbourhoods in Canada.  

Reason #1 - The Glass IS Half Full I grew up in an under-resourced neighbourhood.  I spent the majority of my life working or volunteering in under-resourced neighbourhoods/communities.  While working in and living in under-resourced neighbourhoods my perspective and the general perspective of those around me was that these places were high needs area.  Just listen to the terms used for these neighbourhoods, "priority needs," "at-risk," and "high risk."  These communities are defined and perpetually described by deficiencies (affectionately termed a Neighbourhood Needs Map): broken families, welfare recipients, government housing, illiteracy, crime, unemployment, etc.  These labels are then used to create policies and programs that are oriented towards deficiencies and not towards capacity.  

It takes little imagination to see what the outcome is when neighbours of these communities are continually subjected to programs, services and activities that approach them as needs to be addressed and problems to be solved.  Here are just a few results that occur when a neighbourhood is defined by its needs:

• the community becomes inundated and literally surrounded by systems, institutions and even businesses that are built on and supported by their others-defined deficiencies; this is evident by the prevalence of check cashing places, welfare offices, rent-to-own stores and other needs-based businesses and institutions in under-resourced neighbourhoods 
• people begin to understand that in order to survive, in order to receive the services that are available to them, they will always need to be in a position of need
• neighbourhood residents can begin to accept this view of their neighbourhood and begin to view the place and people as, "victims incapable of taking charge of their lives and of their community's future" (Kretzmann & McKnight, 4, 1993)

Essentially the prevailing perspective of certain neighbourhoods being full of needs is very short-sighted and limited.  It fails to account for the fact that the proverbial glass is actually half full and has capacity to be overflowing. ABCD challenges us to look at a community holistically.  What if we looked at these neighbourhoods not based on what their needs were, but based on what their strengths, abilities, gifts, capacities and assets were?  What if we began to speak about the innate gifts, abilities and talents that individuals had and their ability and power to contribute said gifts to the health and growth of their community?  What would result if we began to locate these local people assets, connect these local people assets to other assets of the neighbourhood (namely associations and institutions that have power and resources to support community) and nurture these connections until they developed into power shifting, change and hope producing agents?  When we begin to ask such questions we see another picture of the under-resourced community emerge.  We create a space to dream, hope and build capacity with the reality that every person and neighbourhood is half full.   We also highlight what before was obscure, that there is a power and capacity that is within that is more potent than the one without.  

Note:  For the sake of this blog post I've used the term "under-resourced" neighbourhood.  I'm not sure I love that term, but I will use it until I find a term that more accurately describes the way I perceive these neighbourhoods.

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Citation: 

Kretzmann, John P., and John McKnight. Building Communities from the inside Out: A Path toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets. Evanston, IL: Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern U, 1993.

What on Earth Am I Up to Now?

I am excited and a bit apprehensive about finally beginning this blog.  I am excited to be able to share with you this time of learning and adventure in my life. However, I'm a little apprehensive because there's something very vulnerable about putting your thoughts and experiences out there for others to read and comment on.  One of the greatest lessons that I've come to learn is that courage is not the absence of fear, but doing something in the presence of fear.  So let's do this blog thing!  

Why am I blogging?
Firstly, to share the amazing things I've been learning during this 6 week hands-on community development learning journey that I've embarked on.  Secondly, to highlight some of the amazing people that I've met and the awesome community development work that I've witnessed or heard about during my travels.  Lastly, to share a bit about myself.  My hopes, my dreams, my feelings, my thoughts, my musings, hey and even some of my failings.  I am a firm believer in keeping it real so this will be a space for me to share my realities.  My hope is that if you're reading this you'll feel free to share you own hopes, dreams, musings, failings so that we can build a community of mutual learning and sharing.  

Sooooo let me tell you briefly about what I've been doing over the last three weeks...

What I've been doing?
I traveled to North Carolina for 10 days to obtain Race Equity and Racial Righteousness training.  I also attended two national conference/gatherings for community developers.  The first was organized by CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) and the second was a gathering for CFA (Communities First Associations) members.  You will hear more about those gatherings in later posts.  Now for the last 12 days I've been in Southern California.  Where it's been crazy hot!  Sorry my Canadian friends :).  In California I have had the invaluable opportunity to shadow a woman by the name of Terri Larson.  She is the Director of Catalytic Leader Development for an organization called City Net (www.citynet.org).  Terri has been doing the work of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) for over 25 years and she has graciously allowed me to walk alongside her as she coaches, trains, leads strategic planning, facilitates spiritual formation (soul care) and builds capacity for leaders and their organizations in various neighbourhoods.  I will be in So Cal, as they call it here, until the first week of November.  I figured this would give me enough time to shadow Terri and visit community based and development focused agencies that are doing the work of ABCD.  I'll give a brief overview of this ABCD that I keep referring to in another post.   

Why am I doing this?
Simply put, I am passionate about facilitating and supporting positive change in the lives of individuals and communities.  Over the last 2.5 years I have been on a journey that has lead me to drastically reorganize and reorient my life and priorities. I have spent the time equipping myself with various tools and intentionally exposing myself to various learning experiences so that I can be an active catalyst of transformation. Terri and I are both members of CFA and she was willing to have me come out and do some experiential learning with her...so here I am!  The timing has been especially important because Terri is in the midst of launching a city-wide training for neighbours in the 26 neighbourhoods of Riverside, California!  So I get to be a witness and even assist with all of that awesome goodness!

How am I doing this?   
I set some money aside for this learning opportunity, but it is through the generosity of friends, family and other supporters that this dream has been made a reality.  If you are interested in supporting this learning journey, please feel free to donate via my GoFundMe account (http://www.gofundme.com/ebxgxs).  If you can't donate, that's okay, your prayers, well wishes and messages of support are just as appreciated too!

My gift to you... :)
In the spirit of ABCD, I am eager to offer a gift back to you.  I invite you to follow my journey via this blog and through my Facebook and GoFundMe posts.  This will probably be the hardest part of my journey, committing to blogging regularly :).  However, I am committed to sharing the stories of life, love and laughter with you, so that you too can be a part of the journey!