Robert Francis
Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership [RYASAP]
2470 Fairfield Avenue
Bridgeport, CT06605
Phone: 203-579-2727 ext. 304
rfrancis_99@yahoo.com
Asset Based Community Development Institute
Northwestern University
www.abcdinstitute.org
COMMUNITY
“It’s not a place – it’s a relationship”
 Where youth and adult citizens
address needs and develop responses
 Where people’s gifts are
recognized and used to solve
community problems and create
healthy spaces to live
COMMUNITY NEEDS MAP
Unemployment
Gangs
Domestic
Abuse
Single Parent
Families
Dilapidated
Housing
Teen Pregnancy
Mental
Child
Abuse Crime Disability
Juvenile Delinquency
Illiteracy
Alcohol
&
Drug
Abuse
Poverty
Homelessness
Suicide & Depression
COMMUNITY ASSETS MAP
Local Institutions
HOSPITALS
GOVERNMENT
Citizens’ Associations
BUSINESS CHURCHES
INCOME
YOUTH
PARKS
BLOCK CLUBS
Gifts of
ARTISTS
Individuals
ELDERLY
LABELED
PEOPLE
CULTURAL CLUBS
LIBRARIES
SCHOOLS
HUMAN SERVICE
AGENCIES
COLLEGES
PERSONAL ASSET INVENTORY
HAND
List of all those things you can
do with your hands that you
want to share.
HEAD
List of all those things you
have knowledge of that you
want to share.
HEART
HOME
List of all those things you
really care about that will
move you to action
List of important relationships in your neighborhood,
community and beyond – your
connections
Types of Associations
• Artistic Groups
• Business Professional
Associations
• Charitable Associations
• Church Groups
• Civic Groups
• Collectors Groups
• Community Support Groups
• Elderly Groups
• Ethnic and Cultural Groups
• Health & Fitness Groups
• Special Interest Groups
• Media and
Communications Groups
• Self Help Groups
• Neighborhood Councils
• Block Watch Associations
• Outdoors Groups
• Political Organizations
• School Groups (PTA’s etc.)
• Service Clubs
• Alumni Associations
• Sports Leagues
• Study Groups
• Survivors Groups
• Veterans Groups
• Women’s Groups
• Youth Groups
Assets of Institutions
“Fortresses or Treasure Chests?”
1. Facilities
2. Equipment
3. Purchasing Power
4. Employment Practices
5. Training and Organizational Development
6. Employees and Their Skills
7. Clout to Open Doors
8. Financial Resources
ACTION STRATEGIES FOR CREATING TREASURE CHEST INSTITUTIONS
Join together with other institutions, citizen’s associations and community
leaders to address issues in the community
Convene groups to see what people really care about and are ready to act on
Identify your organization’s assets and share these assets with the community to
address major issues in the community
Distribute small grants to involve citizens or the people you serve in your work
Identify and connect local citizen’s associations to your work
Use the clout of your board of directors and staff to involve citizen input and
action
Support citizen organizing – form community partnerships that involve citizens
as well as other organizations to advance your issues
Use your economic power – hire and train people from the community to
strengthen the community
Foundation
grants
Bartering of
services
Daily
wages
Government
Staff Salaries
Sale of
local goods
Business
sales
Tax
revenues
Government
grants
Grocery
sales
Tourism
revenue
LEAKY
BUCKET*
Social services
Health
related
expenses
Transportation Alcohol
Recreation
costs
&Tobacco
consumption
Products for use by
local institutions
Taxes and
social payments
Education
expenses
Household
consumables
*The “Leaky Bucket” represents money coming into the community from outside and internal
sources and how this money is spent both for effective and ineffective services and goods.
Community Assets
Building Blocks of Community
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Individuals with gifts [All]
Associations
Neighborhood Groups
Congregations
Nonprofits
Government
Schools
Businesses
Local Economy – $
Physical environment
“Assets are not assets unless people want to share them!”
START WITH A CONVERSATION
The issue – adolescent sexuality
Start with an answer…
How can we distribute more condoms to prevent STD’s and HIV?
Start with a conversation…
What can we do as a community to address the issue of adolescent
sexuality in order to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and HIV?
Who should be involved? What qualities/assets are we looking for in
these participants to help with the problem?
What is the real question you want to answer?
Discover
What
Discover
What
People Care
Care About
About
People
Conversations
More
Connections
Meaningful
Action
“If its rats, it must be rats!”
Websites
Asset Based Community Development Institute www.abcdinstitute.org
Coady International Institute www.coady.stfx.ca/
Inclusion Press www.inclusion.com
Books
•Building Communities From the Inside Out by John McKnight
and John Kretzmann
•The Careless Society by John McKnight
•From Clients to Citizens by Alison Mathie and Gordon Cunningham
•When People Care Enough To Act by Mike Green, Henry Moore and
John O’Brien
•Neighbor Power by Jim Diers
•Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
•Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Your Local Assets
And Your Organization’s Capacity by the ABCD Institute
•A Guide to Building Sustainable Organizations From The Inside Out by
the Chicago Foundation For Women
•New Community Tools for Improving Child Health by John McKnight
and Carol Pandak