ABCD Training Group
Asset-Based Community Development
Building Communities From The Inside Out

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On working in and with communities
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On the role of the "gapper"
On power
On working in and with communities
On working in the "real world"
On scale and the importance of locality
On doing the work
A Summary of the Basic ABCD Process
 
 
  • One word: Ask

  • Engage the community around a question, not an answer

  • When you ask, you need to listen to the answer and follow-through

  • Community building takes circles (associations centered on consensus, relationships, caring)

  • "Partnerships" must be citizen-centered to engage the community

  • Success builds upon success

  • Start small

  • A community's gifts are perishable--it's better to identify and successfully use/connect a small number of people than to identify but not use a large number

  • Start with an easy goal

  • Start with an issue/goal that is "winnable"

  • If something works, do more of it

  • Know yourself, especially your boundaries

  • When entering a community, check your ego and attitudes at the door

  • Also recognize you do know what to do--remember what you already know

  • In working with a community, remember a leader is someone with a following and beware of false leaders (individuals or groups seen as leaders by outsiders but not by community members)

  • No amount of doing the wrong thing will make it the right thing

  • A community can only tackle a certain number of issues (or an issue) at a time

  • Pick your fights/choose your battles

  • Be a wise steward of the limited (volunteer) energy available in the community

  • Recognize that timing and the confluence of events do play a role in community building