On Oct. 13 & Oct. 20, I had the pleasure of co-hosting two ABCD Global Gatherings that were focused on this question: How Can Community Residents and their Associations Be Leaders of Economic Development in their Communities? I'd like to thank Gord Cunningham, from the Coady Institute in Canada, for being my co-host for both Gatherings. 

Resources

Leaky Bucket (Gord Cunningham and Coady Institute)

• Gord's first “paper” on the leaky bucket http://116.90.61.84/~jedercom/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TheLeakyBucket.pdf
  
• Link to a video recording Gord did recently for an ABCD online course Coady ran where I talk about Demystifying Community Economics and the Leaky Bucket Leaky Bucket YouTube Video – Gord Cunningham, Coady Institute
  
• Digital Leaky Bucket https://coady.stfx.ca/digital-leaky-bucket/
  
• An Integrated Farm and Household Leaky bucket guide Gord co-developed with partners in Kenya a few years ago: https://coady.stfx.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IS14.pdf
  

Resources from Yogesh Ghore, a Coady Institute colleague of Gord's, has developed quite a body of work (now being used widely in many countries) with groups that support small producers in discovering opportunities for them to squeeze more value out of the supply chains in which they operate.

• A papers on this subject Yogesh has written: https://coady.stfx.ca/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/IS3.pdf
  
• A facilitator’s guide https://coady.stfx.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IS3c.pdf
  

Other Community-Driven Resources and Stories  (Thank you, John Hamerlinck for sharing!)

• Building the Mercado Central
  https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/publications/Documents/Building%20the%20Mercado%20Central.pdf
  
• Economic Renewal Guide: A Collaborative Process for Sustainable Community Development
  https://www.amazon.com/Economic-Renewal-Guide-Collaborative-Sustainable/dp/1881071065
  
• The intro to the above book is available as a pdf here:
  https://library.uniteddiversity.coop/Money_and_Economics/Economic-Renewal-Guide-Chapter2.pdf
  
• Good economic development stories from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
  https://ilsr.org/ilsr-reports/
  
• Renewing the Countryside
  https://www.renewingthecountryside.org/
  
• Garden Girl Foods - (from Deb Wisniewski) A story about a woman working to provide food and so much more in one neighborhoood in Louisville KY.
  • Garden Girl Foods website: https://www.gardengirlfoods.com/
    
  • Video interview with Whitney Powers from Garden Girl Foods, who's "just a girl with a garden trying to save the world one jar at a time." https://www.wave3.com/2021/06/25/garden-girl-foods-adds-water-food-desert-with-personal-garden/
    

Do you have any resources, stories, etc about Community-Driven Economic Development? Feel free to share below!

From Deb Wisniewski, ABCD in Action Lead Host

Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH) community funding programs are meant to support community partnerships that tackle racial justice and health equity challenges in their community by building community capacity to form multi-sector collaborations, inclusive of community and resident leadership, that share and use data to work toward improved health equity. To that end, DASH provides funding, operational support, peer learning, strategic planning, technical assistance, and training.

NEW COMMUNITY FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: ASSET-BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 

DASH is seeking community organizers that are convening community members, institutions, and organizations to identify interventions to combat health disparities in underserved areas. Underserved & historically excluded communities refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as a common geography, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life. 

This cohort is designed for organizations and organizers that are highly interested in developing their work through an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) program design, which prioritizes local strengths and assets, especially grass-roots community leadership. 

Please note that this opportunity is only available to communities based in the United States of America.

For more information, check out their website.

A more detailed description of the program and application process will be provided in a 90-minute webinar at 12:30 pm EST on Nov. 16, 2021.  Registration is encouraged (click here) even if you cannot attend, as a recording will be available immediately following and sent to all those registered.   If there are issues in attending or accessing a recorded webinar, please contact Melissa Moorehead at mmoorehe@mphi.org after October 26 and our team will work to get you the information you need.

Welcome to ABCD in Action News!

This is the first edition of our newsletter since we've moved to a new platform for ABCD in Action. We hope it will be the first of many and will continue to improve as we move forward. The first thing we want to do is rename it. "ABCD in Action News" is pretty boring and we know you all are a creative group of people. Enter your suggestions for a new name here and your suggestion might earn you a prize.

ABCD Institute Partners with DePaul University, Chicago Illinois USA

Drawing upon 30 years of experience and accomplished community engagement, the internationally recognized Asset-Based Community Development Institute has relocated to DePaul's Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning and Community Service Studies. Bringing the national headquarters to DePaul provides the ABCD Institute an opportunity to further its scholarship and work, and for the missions of both organizations to thrive. Learn more about this move.

Today's Tip: Posting on ABCD in Action

Once a month, we'll try to share some tips that will help you become more connected and engaged with ABCD in Action. Today's tip is about how to post in our online community.

There's a lot going on and many opportunities for you to get connected. Most of your posts can be done directly through your own personal profile. So if you want to post photos or videos, announce an event, or share your thoughts in a blog, log into the site and then click on your own name. Use the menu right below your name to post - just click on the type of item you want to post and then follow the directions. Experiment! You can't break anything here (and if something gets a little messed up, just email us at ABCDinAction@gmail.com to get it fixed).

One exception: You might want to join or start a conversation. All conversations take place in our Forum. Again we encourage you to try posting. It's a great way to make a new connection!

What's Happening?

Each newsletter, we'll highlight some of the newest items on ABCD in Action. Be sure to check them out!

Groups: We can help you start a group if you want a way for people in your local communities or geographic areas to get more connected, as we did with the ABCD Kenya group. If you are interested in what's happening in Kenya, be sure to join this group. Check out some of the other groups that are getting started.

Forum: The forum is where you can ask questions and engage in conversation. Here are some of the latest conversations. Note that, although some of these may have started a while ago, they have recent additions to the conversations. You can add to the forum by going here.

• ANYBODY HAVE ABCD RESOURCES IN FRENCH OR FOR AFRICAN CONTEXT?
• IS DEMONSTRATIONS AND BOYCOTTING PART OF ABCD ACTION?
• USING VISUAL ARTS AS A STARTING POINT FOR WRITING OUR STORIES - A STRENGTHS BASED APPROACH

Blogs: A great place to share your thoughts on a particular topic. Here are some of the latest blogs.

• Think Global, Act Local, by Hulula
• Jeder Co-Labs: The Internal Mechanics of Effective Collective Impact, by Dee Brooks.

Stories: Stories can be posted through the Blog menu on your profile page and then choosing "Stories" in the template. Here are some great stories.

• ABCD in Ngao Yetu, by Hulala
• If You Want to Build Community, Start Where the People Are, by Jim Diers
• Community Development Cliches to Avoid, by Ron Dwyer-Voss

We want to hear from you! What do you like about ABCD in Action? What ideas do you have for making it even better than it is? How might you contribute your gifts and talents in this online community? Share your thoughts here or email Deb at ABCDinAction@gmail.com.

Connect, Learn, Share!

Greetings!

It's been a while since we sent out a newsletter from ABCD in Action... so much has been happening! To start with, many of us (about 200 in fact) from about 20 countries attended the ABCD Festival in the United Kingdom back in June. What an exciting event that was! We want to welcome those new members here at ABCD in Action who joined after attending the Festival.

We are hoping that opportunities to learn, to share stories and to connect will continue to take place in various places around the world. If you're planning an event, either small or large, please feel free to post it on theEvents page here at ABCD in Action so we can share it with this entire community.

"Community Engagement"

Lookingaround ABCD in Action, you may notice the number of people using the term "community engagement." Someconversations that have been started include:

• Karenisinterested in any ideas or projects that have worked well, as well as how important is community engagement to enablement.
• Noreenis interested in activities and tools for a workshop on Community Engagement.
• Debjust wants to know what you mean when you say "community engagement."

Feel free to join or start your own conversations!

What's happening on ABCD in Action?

Join conversations, share your ideas and stories, ask questions, connect with each other....

• ABCD applied to conservation/natural resource management, a conversation with Nicole
• The Light House of Hill, bySuman Chowdhury Mony
  
• Make Serious Change by Having Fun, by Jim Diers
• Therelevance of ABCD Ontology in integrating emerging farmers in the mainstream South African economy, by Moshe Molefe
• The ABCDs of including caregivers in community, by Donna Thomson
• Meet our newest membersand say hello!

Events

There are several ABCD-relatedlearningopportunitiesand events coming up. Be sure to check these out and feel free to post your own.

• AConversationwithJohn McKnight and Peter Block(no cost to participate), Oct. 6, 2015
• ABCD Meetup in Madison, with Deb Wisniewski and Steve Kretzmann, Oct. 30, 2015

Questions or Comments about ABCD in Action?

Feel free to contact any of the members of the Stewardship Team:Deb, Ron, Dan, Mary, Dee,MichelleandApril

Connect, Learn, Share!

ABCD Festival 2015

The ABCD Festival starts a month from today! Are you signed up to go? You can learn more about the Festival and book your place by going to the ABCD Festival 2015 website.

What are your hopes for the Festival? What would you like to talk about at the Festival? What questions do you have? Share your thoughts in this conversationon ABCD in Action.

"Working in the Gap"

This month we're continuing our conversations about "Working in the Gap" by asking this question: Can people learn to do gap work? Or do you need to be a "natural'?What kind of learning supports gappers (either trained gappers or natural gappers)? Share you perspective.

You can also listen to a recording of the conversation about "working in the gap" between John McKnight, Peter Block and Tom Mosgaller (with comments from other ABCD Faculty) on TalkShoe. Simply go to the TalkShoe websiteand scroll down to Episode 28 from April 7, 2015.

We have otherconversations, blogs and eventstaking place around this topic. Feel free to join or respond to any of these. You are also welcome to start your own conversation or to share your thoughts on this topic in a blog.

What else is happening on ABCD in Action?

Join conversations, share your ideas and stories, ask questions, connect with each other....

• Grassroots Organizing, a conversation with Matt Grantham
• Job Posting: Director of Community Development and Social Networks, from Building Caring Communities.
• Meet our newest membersand say hello!

Events

There are several ABCD-relatedlearningopportunitiesand events coming up. Be sure to check these out and feel free to post your own.

• Creating Sustainable Community, May 20-21
• Neighbors: Policies and Programs, June 8-10
• Become a Metanoia Fellow, Deadline June 15

Questions or Comments about ABCD in Action?

Feel free to contact any of the members of the Stewardship Team:Deb, Ron, Dan, Mary, DeeandApril

Connect, Learn, Share!

If you're interested in connecting, learning and sharing about ABCD, there's a lot happening around the world and here on ABCD in Action. Here are some things you may want to know about.

ABCD Festival 2015

In June 2015, to mark the 20th Anniversary of the ABCD Institute, people from around the world will be gathering in the village of Ribby Hall, in Blackpool in England for the The ABCD Festival. This festival will gather together people who have fostered place-based, citizen-led, and asset-based social movements. Learn more about this amazing festivaland how you can attend.

If you'reinterested in attending the festival, but are concerned about registration costs, there are some scholarships available for a limited time. Check out thisannouncementto learn more.

"Working in the Gap"

In our last newsletter, we introduced the concept of "Working in the Gap." While this name may not be familiar to you, many ABCD folks instantly recognize the ideas behind the label - that there is a transformation taking place as institutions work to become asset-focused and community-driven.

We now have conversations, blogs and eventstaking place around this topic. Feel free to join or respond to any of these. You are also welcome to start your own conversation or to share your thoughts on this topic in a blog.

What else is happening on ABCD in Action?

Join conversations, share your ideas and stories, ask questions, connect with each other....

• When the Internet generation thinks ABCD is a dinosaur?- a conversation with Magdalena Valderrama Hurwitz
• Anyone have ABCD resources in French or for African context?- a conversation with Lynn Hutchinson
• What do Gappers actually "do"? What are their functions?- a conversation with Deb Wisniewski
• Seize the Opportunity of Crisis to Rebuild Communityby Jim Diers
• Village Transformed by Kissing Frogby Jim Diers
• My Neon Cathedralby Dee Brooks
• Meet our newest membersand say hello!

Questions or Comments about ABCD in Action?

Feel free to contact any of the members of the Stewardship Team:Deb, Ron, Dan, Mary, DeeandApril

Greetings from ABCD inAction!

If you haven't visited ABCD in Action recently, it may be time for you to stop by and see what's happening. With over 1300 members from more than 50 countries, this unique online community about Asset-Based Community Development is a great place to share ideas, ask questions, and make connections. Here is just a sampling of what's been happening lately on ABCD in Action:

• Inspiration Software- this conversation started last summer, but continues now. about technology that people use to think about possibilities.
• Job Announcementfor an Organizing Coordinator at the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities

• ABCD and the Church- an Interview With John McKnight

• Asset-Mapping Steps- by Ron Dwyer-Voss

• Finding Opportunities in Conflict- by John Hamerlinck

"Working in the Gap"

Over the last several years, a new concept has been evolving within ABCD practice. Known as "working in the gap," it attempts to capture the work of individuals and organizations that are trying to bridge the "gap" between community and institutions. A group of ABCD practitioners and leaders are trying to understand this concept in practice and we are inviting you to join the conversation.

We are starting with a blog that attempts to describe what "working in the gap" means to us. We also have posted a initial conversation asking what it means to be a "gapper." We're hoping you will read, ponder, converse and contribute your thoughts about what working in the gap means to you.

• Working in the Gap(blog)
• Working in the Gap: What does it mean to you?(conversation)

Questions or Comments about ABCD in Action?

Feel free to contact any of the members of the Stewardship Team:Deb, Ron, Dan, Mary, DeeandApril

Greetings from ABCD inAction!

ABCD in Action is your community. It's the easiest way to connect with people who are putting ABCD into practice around the world. Because we are more than just an online resource page, we depend on the more than 1100 members from around the world to ask each other questions, engage in discussions, share ideas, and support each other. Members come from all walks of life and range from "newbies" (just heard about ABCD today!) to the people who live and breathe ABCD principles.

In the upcoming months, we'll be sharing information with you about how you can participate more on ABCD in Action. If you have any questions, feel free to contact a member of the ABCD in Action Stewardship Team - They're listed in the right-hand column of the website.

Have you visited ABCD in Action lately? Don't you think it's time you did?

Where Can I Post?

Members have lots of options for sharing questions, ideas, news, and resources with each other. If you're wondering where to post, here are some basic guidelines:

• If you want toconnect and interact with other members and/or have something you want to discuss (example: asking a question, getting suggestions or ideas), start or join aConversation.

• If your primary goal is totell or share something with the other members of ABCD in Action (example: sharing a resource or tool; telling a story; contribute your experiences or thoughts), post it in the Blog. (People who post a blog usually welcome comments from other members).

• If you want to invite people to join you for an event (either face-to-face, online, or through other technology), post it inEvents.

Conversations

Conversationsare a great way to connect and support each other. Here are some conversations that you can join - feel free to start a new conversation as well:

• Charles is interested in knowing what it takes to be an ABCD practitioner. What do you think?
• Magdalena is so interested in training volunteer interviewers that she's posted two conversations to ask what you all think... This oneand this one.... Feel free to ask her questions and/or give her some ideas.
• Caleb has been pondering what "abundance" means- share your thoughts with him.

Blogs

ABCD Members are a thoughtful and generous group of people. Just check out some of the great ideas, stories and resources that have been shared with this community through the Blogs- consider adding your own blog post and/or commenting on someone else's:

• Healthy People and Communities Takes a Relay Race, by Dan Duncan
• Four Strategies for Finding and Working with Associations, by John Hamerlinck

• Landfill Communities Fund, by Andy Hodgkinson

Upcoming Events

Do you have an event you'd like to share with the members of ABCD inAction? All members are invited toshare your trainings, community gatherings, etc. on the Events page. Whether you're meeting face-to-face, online, or through other technology (example: phone, Skype and Google Hangout), you're welcome to post your event. Here are some upcoming events you may want to check out:

• ABCD Newcastle, Australia practitioner Gathering(Callaghan, Newcastle, Australia)- Dee is inviting anyone who's in her area to get together to share ideas and support each other.
• Investing in Gifts & Stories(Audioconference) - Bruce would like you to join a great group for a conversation about how investing in gifts and stories can transform communities
• Unconference: A Participant-Driven Gathering(Kurri Kurri, NSW Australia) - This upcoming event promises to focus on the topics that are important to you as people gather to explore new and innovative practices.

Thank You for Your Support!

ABCD inActionrelies on our members to support this online community through your participation and your financial contributions. We recently began accepting financial donations to help us with the expenses associated with this network. If you haven't donated yet,please consider making a donation today.

If you have any questions about making a donation, feel free to contact Deb Wisniewski atabcdinaction@gmail.com.