Community Themes and Strengths Assessment

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Community Themes and StrengthsAssessment
The MAPP Assessments
Mobilizing for Action through Planning and
Partnerships

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Objectives

• Learn the benefits of conducting a Community
  Themes and Strengths Assessment
• Become familiar with methods of soliciting
  community input
• Learn the value of discussing quality of life
  issues
• Be introduced to community asset mapping
• Identify categories of potential forces of change
  agents

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How do the Assessments Interact?
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Community Themes and Strengths Assessment

• What is important to our community?
• How is quality of life perceived in our
  community?
• What assets do we have that can be used to
  improve community health?

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Benefits
Community Themes and Strengths

• Community more vested in the process
• Sense of ownership
• Responsibility for outcomes
• Community input
• Pinpoints issues
• Highlights solutions
• Offers additional insights into other findings

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4 Steps
Community Themes and Strengths

• Prepare for the assessment
• Implement activities to identify themes and
  strengths
• Compile the results
• Sustain community involvement

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Step 1 Prepare for the Assessment
Community Themes and Strengths

• Establish a subcommittee
• Identify skills and resources needed
• Consider existing mechanisms
• Determine most effective approach(es) for
  gathering input
• Focus groups
• Surveys
• Town hall meetings
• Walking or Windshield Surveys
• Individual discussions or interviews

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Information Gathering Mechanisms Matrix
Community Themes and Strengths
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Step 2 Implement Information-Gathering
Activities
Community Themes and Strengths

• Consider the logistics
• Address barriers to participation
• Begin with an overview of MAPP and goals
• Three levels of information gathering

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Three Levels of Information-Gathering
Community Themes and Strengths

• Open discussion to elicit community concerns,
  opinions and comments in an unstructured way
• What do you think are the 2-3 most important
  characteristics of a healthy community?
• Perceptions on quality of life in the community

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Three Levels of Information-Gathering (cont)
Community Themes and Strengths

• Map of community assets
• Inventory of capacities of individuals,
  organizations, institutions

• Asset-Based Approach
• Focus on assets
• Opportunity identification
• Investment orientation
• People are the answer
• Less services
• Grants, loans, contracts, investment, leveraging
• High emphasis on associations, business,
  agencies, faith-based organizations
• Focus on the community, neighborhood
• See people as fellow citizens

• Needs-Based Approach
• Focus on deficits
• Problem response
• Charity orientation
• Programs are the answer
• More services
• Grants to agencies
• High emphasis on government agencies
• Focus on the individual
• See people as clients

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Step 3 Compile Results
Community Themes and Strengths

• Keep running list of ideas, comments, quotes and
  themes during activities
• Results compiled into one central list
• Issues, Perceptions and Assets Worksheet

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Step 4 Ensure that Community Involvement and
Empowerment is Sustained
Community Themes and Strengths

• Dialogue should be on-going
• Be sure to record names and contact info of
  participants
• Involve participants in other activities

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Tools and Tip Sheets
Community Themes and Strengths

• Conducting a Community Dialogue
• A Step-by-Step Approach to Conducting a Focus
  Group
• Information Gathering Mechanisms Matrix
• Quality of Life Questions
• Issues, Perceptions and Assets Worksheet