Community Building Principles

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Community Building Principles
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Working Definition of the Asset Based Approach
The starting point is to work with community
/neighborhood residents and leadership to
identify and mobilize assets - the skills,
abilities and resources of all residents,
associations and organizations - and based on the
collective agenda leverage community resources to
compliment not replace the existing assets.
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Two Solutions - Two Paths
Needs
Assets
Services to Meet Needs
Connect Contribute
Clients
Citizens
People are the Answer
Programs are the Answer
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Community Building
A Comprehensive approach to improving
conditions, expanding opportunities, and
promoting positive change in communities that
addresses many interrelated issues through
collaborative efforts, with residents at the
forefront. (Casey-Speak)
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Common Themes

• It is not a collection of agencies that provide
  separate programs for separate problems.
• It is a networking tool through which local
  people assemble to exchange services and act
  together for the good of their community.
• It identifies and uses the human and
  organizational assets in a specific geographical
  area. In this way, the neighborhood becomes a
  means to release the power of families and
  neighborhoods from within.

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Community Building Competencies

• Community Partnering
• Information Sharing
• Initiative
• Community Understanding
• Vision
• Empowerment and Influencing
• Conceptual Mapping
• Listening and Understanding

Source DTI
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Community Building Principles

• Participation and Inclusion
• Build Capacity Focus on Assets
• Civic Responsibility
• Collaboration and Partnership
• Comprehensive
• Embrace Diversity
• Learn
• Focus on Results

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PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION

• Directly involve people affected to decide,
  develop and implement solutions in their
  neighborhoods and communities.
• Create an environment which encourages and
  supports the participation of all people and
  differing perspectives.
• Ensure that the process is inclusive, open, and
  that information is shared by all

• A variety of impacted residents of differing
  social and economic groups, are invited to share
  their gifts and participate in the work of their
  community in increasing proportions.

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BUILD CAPACITY FOCUS ON ASSETS

• Community-building participants exhibit increased
  commitment to and confidence in the collective
  action of neighborhood residents and leadership.

• Continually identify and develop leadership
  potential of people at the grassroots level and
  provide opportunities to lead.
• Ensure that information which portrays community
  needs/ problems is balanced with information
  about community assets and that information is
  shared with all affected individuals and groups.
  
• Support efforts that lead to sustainable
  solutions emphasizing leadership development,
  citizen participation, partnerships with agencies
  and organizations, and community economic
  development.
• Support the development of solutions that will
  effectively build upon the capabilities and
  assets of each neighborhood and community through
  the strengths of individuals, families
  associations, and organizations.

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The Needs Map
Graffiti
Welfare Recipients
Drugs
Seniors Alone
Slums
Crime
Labeled People
Illiteracy
Unemployment
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Consequences of the Power of the Needs Map

• Internalizations of the deficiencies identified
  by local residents
• Destruction of social capital
• Reinforcement of narrow categorical funding flows
• Direction of funds toward professional helpers,
  not residents
• Focus on leaders who magnify deficiencies
• Rewards failure, produces dependency
• Creates hopelessness

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The Asset Map
Local Institutions
Schools
Businesses
Libraries
Citizens Associations
Churches
Block Clubs
Gifts of Individuals
Parks
Hospitals
Youth
Seniors
Skills
Athletic Groups
Cultural Groups
Labeled People
Artists
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CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY

• More individuals choose to exercise and fulfill
  their civic and community responsibilities.

• Work to mobilize residents and communities for
  collective action.
• Promote the civic responsibility of residents in
  all aspects of community and neighborhood life.
• Encourage activities that follow the principles
  and values of democracy.
• Encourage individuals and groups to freely
  express their views.
• Promote the concept of collective and individual
  leadership and responsibility for the common good.

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Nonprofit as a Catalytic Organization to Build
Social Capital

• Help lay the foundation for community action
  but do not act as the driving force.
• Are not seen as the community problem-solver, but
  as a catalyst to marshal resources, engage
  individuals in public life, convene members of
  the community and spur discussion on how the
  community can act on its concerns.
• Set the stage for widespread civic engagement.
• Have the trust of the community.

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COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP

• Initiatives undertaken increase the number of
  involved partners and result in increased
  collaboration.

• Strongly encourage collaborative activity amongst
  neighborhoods, agencies, businesses, funders,
  policy-makers and other stakeholders.
• Encourage activities that respond to the
  uniqueness of each neighborhood and community by
  bringing together the strengths of local
  individuals, associations, businesses,
  faith-based entities and other organizations.
• Promote open communication with an emphasis on
  active listening and reaching consensus.

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COMPREHENSIVE

• Create incentives for approaches and
  interventions which cut across program boundaries
  whenever and wherever possible (e. g. education,
  employment, housing, health, and human
  services).
• Balance priorities which focus on solving
  individual problems with actions that
  strategically target the development of
  neighborhoods and communities.
• Support the integration of community economic
  development, human services and civic
  responsibility as a comprehensive approach to
  community building.

• Community-building interventions and approaches
  cross organizational boundaries (e.g.,
  businesses, churches, human service agencies,
  etc.) in addressing community issues.

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EMBRACE DIVERSITY

• A variety of impacted residents of differing
  social and economic groups, are invited and
  participate in the work of their community in
  increasing proportions.

• Recognize and celebrate the differences and
  uniqueness of residents in neighborhoods and
  communities by encouraging and supporting
  inclusiveness.
• Promote the values and history of our many
  cultural traditions and ethnic groups.

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Circles of Care and Responsibilities
Government
Organizations
Faith Based
Friends
Family
Self
Neighbors
Associations
Helping Professionals
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LEARN

• Demonstrate that successes and failures of
  community building efforts are used as learning
  opportunities for communities and organizations.

• Promote a supportive environment which allows
  communities and organizations to continually
  learn and grow.
• Support innovations where all can learn together
  from successes and failures.

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FOCUS ON RESULTS

• People will understand that the results of
  community building will be short-term,
  intermediate, and long-term in their nature.

• Encourage a system which gathers, analyzes,
  tracks, and shares information that will allow
  all to build upon their experiences.
• Demonstrate genuine accountability for outcomes
  to residents, donors, and all stakeholders.
• Acknowledge that to be successful this work
  requires a long term commitment.

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Lessons Learned from a Community Building
Perspective

• It can not be overstated that the long term
  success and sustainability of our work is
  dependent on strong active citizen involvement.
  The work of agencies and other institutions is to
  build strong communities through citizen
  involvement. It is the communitys work to solve
  problems.
• We must develop and support effective citizen
  engagement and empowerment, helping all residents
  identify and share their gifts.
• It is not just about money. It is not about
  funding, grants and allocations it is about
  strategically leveraging individual, neighborhood
  and community resources.
• No one institution or group can solve todays
  problems alone, we must all work together.

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Effective Communities

• Look inside first to solve problems
• Relationships are seen as power
• Have a good sense of assets and capacities, not
  just needs
• Leaders open doors
• Citizens are involved
• People take responsibility

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The New Paradigm
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The Dilemma of Clients
Clients are people who are dependent upon and
controlled by their helpers and leaders. Clients
are people who understand themselves in terms of
their deficiencies and people who wait for others
to act on their behalf Citizens on the other
hand, are people who understand their own
problems in their own terms. Citizens perceive
their relationship to one another and they
believe in their capacity to act. Good clients
make bad citizens. Good citizens make strong
Communities. Tom Dewar, The Dangers of
Clienthood
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Action Steps Should

• Demonstrate widespread participation by local
  residents, organizations and institutions
• Clearly identify the strengths and capacities
  that local residents and organizations will
  contribute to the effort
• Mobilize, utilize, enhance and expand these local
  capacities
• Contribute to building the local economy, i.e.
  employing residents, enhancing local purchasing,
  etc.
• Build on significant investments of resources and
  time by local residents and organizations.

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Ten Objectives for Effective Action

• Increase the capacity for local leadership
• Increase individual capacity for self-reliance
• Identify and build on local assets
• Build community then build a plan
• Identify and build collaborative relationships
• Make concentrated efforts to include youth
• Become a catalyst for celebrating diversity and
  overcoming the power of racism
• Identify opportunities that most foster
  participation
• Provide appropriate professional assistance to
  build community more quickly
• Ensure a bottom-up process for neighborhood
  renewal

Source Atlanta United Way
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