| Assets Based Community Development or ABCD A Needs Map An Assets Map Local Assets Inventory A Portrait of Gifts Mobilizing Community Assets |
Mobilizing Community AssetsStarting where you are Take a look around and see how the community already mobilizes its assets and capacities. For example:
These actions contribute to community building. They maintain and strengthen relationships between people. More can be done to mobilize the assets and strengths of any community. The way forward is to connect up the different assets a community possesses in creative new ways. Brainstorming New Ways of Building on AssetsThe key to mobilizing the assets of a community is to bring groups of people together to brainstorm ideas and build new connections. First the results of the Local Assets Inventory can be presented so that people get to see their community in a new light. Then community members can be invited to imagine new ways of connecting, contributing and developing together. What can individuals contribute? Not just the professional or expert in the community, but the ordinary person with her talents and passions. What can groups contribute? Especially those who are often dismissed as having anything to offer such as elderly women, unemployed youth, immigrant newcomers or people with disabilities. What can associations and institutions contribute? From religious and sports groups to neighbourhood associations and pet clubs, all community organizations have networks that have something to contribute. What can the formal business sector contribute? Business owners with a strong local connection will have expertise in various areas of bsuiness developmet that they could share. What can the physical environment contribute? Each place has unique gifts (plants, animals, climate, landforms) and inherited infrastructure (roads, harbours, bridges, buildings) that can be creatively used by the community. These contributions can be put together in new ways that mobilize them for community building and economic development.
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