Forum Activity for @joel-zaslofsky

Joel Zaslofsky
@joel-zaslofsky
07/11/22 02:37:39PM
7 posts

Block Connector Platform?


Open Discussions

I'm moving things forward with a Block Connector initiative in my neck of the woods, too. :)

(That would be Edina, Minnesota, USA.)

Like Allison, I've heard of theblockconnector.com site, but never heard of anyone actually using it or maintaining it.

I've spoken with Mark Gordon and Tim Senger, the two behind the software that some of the Block Connectors with Abundant Community Edmonton use, and they're slowly revamping their whole CommonGood platform. There's nothing to see there right now from a public-facing perspective.

I've also spoken with Ruben Medina and Alisha Brown, a big part of be well in Denver/Aurora, and they don't use common software tools for what you have in mind.

I'll be iterating on my own custom blend of Google Forms, Excel Spreadsheets, and other tools to have Block Connectors gather and share information about people on their block. I'll report back here if I feel like I'm:

  1. Far enough along that I've simplified the process for others to use.
  2. Using another tool like CommonGood that's working out for me.
Joel Zaslofsky
@joel-zaslofsky
04/05/22 05:37:27PM
7 posts

My street neighboring project: what to name it, how to fund it, and how to measure it?


ABCD and Community Organizing/Engagement

Allison Lourash:

Joel- do some of these things need to be defined before engaging the neighborhood? Could it be more impactful if those initially engaged decide these?

In terms of evaluation, how do you define social trust?  You could do interviews or open-ended surveys at points in time and collect themes to see if they align with your outcomes.  -Allison

Yes, Allison. It would be more impactful if my fellow neighbors co-founded, co-designed, and co-defined things. I should have made an update on this forum thread by now, but I'm definitely in the process of co-everything-ing with four specific neighbors.

We're moving slower as a result. I think that's OK!

My working definition of social trust is a belief in the honesty, integrity, and reliability of others. A "faith in people," if you will.

Dee Brooks:

Hi Joel and Lauren,

One of my Jeder colleagues, Beth, would be super interested in this discussion - I'll have to check if she's on here yet!

We also work across Aus and the UK and use Empowerment Evaluation, Results Based Accountability, Most Significant Change and more, depending on what's called for - I look forward to connecting you both up with Beth and seeing where this goes! 

Dee... 

I love when you show up to gatherings, forum threads, and pretty much anywhere else, Dee. :)

Lauren and I are going to speak later this month about her offer to help me with measurement. I'm ready to connect with Beth when you're ready to make the connection.

Joel Zaslofsky
@joel-zaslofsky
01/14/22 02:25:32PM
7 posts

My street neighboring project: what to name it, how to fund it, and how to measure it?


ABCD and Community Organizing/Engagement


I’ve been dreaming of starting my own ABCD style local project for years. And come April, it’s happening – weather, COVID-19, and any other constraint be damned. Happy

I have some important and hopefully quick questions for you about what to name certain things for the project. You don’t have to answer all three core questions as any one is better than nothing.

I constantly struggle with naming, funding, and measuring the things I create and your brain is what I need right now. 


The Context


My project is inspired by many street neighboring initiatives around the world, but none more than Abundant Community Edmonton. Their mission statement goes like this:

Abundant Community Edmonton is a grassroots initiative fostering neighbour to neighbour relationships. The goal — to cultivate a culture of care and connection, increase the sense of belonging and inclusion, and ultimately create a more healthy and livable city — one block at a time.

Making the word "neighbor" mean much more than just the people who live immediately by you is also central to my mission. I’ve also seen first-hand how street level connection is inherently good for us all (e.g., health, safety, economy, environment, food, raising children or looking after our elders, and community-based care).


The Core Questions


OK. Now for my most important questions at the moment.


What to Call the Initiative


The word “street” resonates more than “block” where I live. So I want “street” to be part of the initiative’s name. For my suburban context, which of these initiative names are the most intuitive for you, and why?

  • Street Neighbors
  • Street Neighboring
  • Hit the Streets
  • In the Streets
  • See You in the Street
  • The Streets Are Ours

Feel free to propose your own name in your reply.


Financial/Incentives: How to Pay People for Their Role(s)


The good news is that, in true ABCD style, I have everything I need to get started in April. I don’t need a single penny from anyone to find a Street Connector on each street around me and begin a ripple effect.

However, I can see the benefits of having the project financially sustain itself so the operational costs aren’t always coming out of my pocket.

How might I fund the fixed costs of this grassroots project?

For example, the online infrastructure like the website and email marketing service or the physical supplies like Street Connector cards I give to people when I speak with them in-person about the project.

Abundant Community Edmonton is primarily funded by the municipal government, but other similar initiatives are primarily funded with grants.

Philosophically, some kind of crowd-funding is the most appealing to me. But I’m open to combining fundraising methods because this seems to be a case of both/and instead of either/or.


Measuring the Outcomes


My definition of evaluation is this: a systematic assessment of merit, worth, or value for the purposes of learning, decision-making, and accountability. It’s data + stories.

Data is the information that helps us learn what has happened in a community, collected and organized in ways that others outside the community can understand and learn from. The data tells us if a given story we gather is representative or exceptional. – Definition modified from Ron Dwyer-Voss

I was thinking that evaluation of all kinds in this project would be done according to the guidelines of The Four Essential Elements of an Asset-Based Community Development Process by John McKnight and Cormac Russell. An excerpt is included below:

"Evaluating an ABCD process requires a move away from traditional top down summative and formative evaluation processes that are features of traditional ways of evaluating community initiatives. Instead an ABCD approach moves towards a developmental and emancipatory learning process.

Relationships are the primary currency of community work, not data or money. Hence the preferred learning process is one that values what goes on between people, not what goes on within them as disaggregated individuals."

What kind of approach would you take to measuring outcomes for this project?

My primary metric is increased social trust, but that’s typically tricky to evaluate.


updated by @joel-zaslofsky: 01/14/22 02:27:05PM
Joel Zaslofsky
@joel-zaslofsky
10/29/20 06:02:17AM
7 posts

Looking for a few testers who want to test a new strength based asset based app


Tips, Tools, Strategies, and Technology

I sincerely enjoy testing new tech and processes. And I sincere enjoy Asset-Based Community Development.

Count me in, David. I just sent you an email.

Joel Zaslofsky
@joel-zaslofsky
06/09/20 07:11:36PM
7 posts

Asset Mapping and Gift Fulfillment? Meet the Offers and Needs Market.


Shared Resources and Materials

April Doner:

P.S. Any thoughts on how this might be done virtually right now for safety reasons? (obviously, I'd think in-person is probably best when it's safe!)

I've run three virtual OANMs and none of them have had the magic of the in-person version. The Post Growth Institute is running a OANM Facilitator Training right now that I'm participating in and the third week (June 18) promises to explain how to scale a virtual OANM – and make it fun + engaging.

So I'll be learning more this month and probably experimenting with my first strategic virtual OANM late in the month. Even if the aftermath of COVID-19 fades away soon and people are meeting in-person again, there are plenty of reasons to run an online version if I can figure out the secret sauce.

I'll update this post with my findings and experiments once I have something worthy to share.

Joel Zaslofsky
@joel-zaslofsky
02/24/20 02:54:43PM
7 posts

Asset Mapping and Gift Fulfillment? Meet the Offers and Needs Market.


Shared Resources and Materials

Fasoranti Damilola:

Hello Joel,

I am excited to read about your post and I just went ahead to the links you shared. I am going to dive into this and see how it works. I am facilitating a training tomorrow in Abuja, Nigeria to help professionals to uncover their gifts, life experiences and how to turn it into ''glocal' solutions. Although I have been using ABCD for the past 4 years, I don't mind learning OANM and turning on the flashlight on it.

I will share with you how it goes. Thanks for sharing and keep up your awesome work.

Did you use the Offers and Needs Market process during your training last week, Fasoranti?

If so, I'm curious to know how it went – and how you might adapt it for your specific needs or context.

Joel Zaslofsky
@joel-zaslofsky
02/13/20 09:30:24AM
7 posts

Asset Mapping and Gift Fulfillment? Meet the Offers and Needs Market.


Shared Resources and Materials


If you're having a tl;dr moment, check out how I combine asset mapping, needs assessment, and a whole bunch of meta level community/facilitator skills into something called an Offers and Needs Market.

If you're ready for the backstory and more context, read on. :)


Back in early 2014, I was planning a simple-living event in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I had 55 people across North America coming for two days of learning and celebration about things like mindfulness, permaculture, tiny houses, sustainability, and co-housing.

There were seven amazing workshop leaders lined up and they could, on auto-pilot mode, carry us for two days. But what about the 48 other people who were coming? They had gifts, talents, skills, abilities, and assets as well...right?

I didn't know the language of ABCD yet, but something intuitive told me I had to find a way to create an environment where everyone could contribute in some way. Enter Donnie Maclurcan of the Post Growth Institute – a then acquaintance and now good friend and guide.

I was talking with Donnie about my desire to have everyone be participants at the event and he casually said, "Well, you should run an Offers and Needs Market."

"An ... Offers and Needs Market?" I thought. "What the heck is an Offers and Needs Market?!"

In about a minute, Donnie explained the joyful, guided process where groups come together to discover and exchange their passions, knowledge, skills, resources, and needs. Whether for free, barter, or a set rate, people offer and need things like tech help, a place to live, or some extra produce.

It's safe to say I was intrigued. I took a blog post Donnie wrote about running the Offers and Needs Market (OANM), customized it for my style, preferred tools, and space, and ran an experiment on 55 people during the event.

I got a bunch of great feedback on my first Offers and Needs Market and felt personally thrilled by its potential in so many different contexts and communities.

Little did I know at the time, but the Offers and Needs Market was a microcosm of ABCD and my entry point into the wonderful ABCD world.

Fourteen Offers and Needs Markets later – and having seen how each exchange builds a connection, how more connections create meaningful relationships, and how the collective relationships strengthen communities – I'm hooked.

If you want to experiment with many ABCD concepts all wrapped into one activity, I can't recommend the OANM enough.

Here's my take on how to run one of your own and, if you want to explore even more, the Post Growth Institute is developing a formal training on how to integrate the OANM into your own communities, events, and groups.


For your reply: what does the Offers and Needs Market remind you of? Or how might you change it to fit better with how you like to practice ABCD?


updated by @joel-zaslofsky: 09/09/20 02:22:43PM