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Blogs
It was the first meeting of a neighborhood organization’s Health Committee on Chicago’s westside. The six members met in the living room of Gloria Blunt’s home. After considerable discussion as...Read MoreIntroduction Local Government is the level of government closest to the community. From this it would be expected that one of the important functions of Local Government would be in...Read MoreCommunity Building before and since Covid-19 We were all set to launch our Community Building Guide in March of 2020 but Covid-19 put that on hold. We share this guide with you...Read MoreMany Americans of diverse persuasions feel that they are not “heard”. They express their grievances in various forms from demonstrating in the streets to posting on social media. The focus of...Read MoreHello Everyone, My name is Malikia Johnson and I am a new member of the community. It's been so nice to see everyone's stories and reflections about this very important work! I wanted to...Read MoreSo we can't gather. That’s unfortunate. However, we can still do a number of things to move our community change efforts forward. We can always learn. You can never have enough evidence at...Read MoreOver lunch today I had one of the local commercial radio stations on in the background. At one point they were promoting a Volunteer Expo happening at the weekend. The radio announcer summed it...Read MoreReflections On John Lewis On John Lewis These past several days have been very moving for me with the passing of John Lewis. When American democracy seems to be falling apart, he...Read MoreABCD in Action – Strength Based Approach to Refugee Settlement By Om Dhungel As a practitioner of ‘Strength Based Approach’, I often get told that people working with refugees cannot...Read MoreIbram X. Kendi, How To Be An Anti-Racist Most of us in the ABCD world might consider ourselves pretty advanced in the world of anti-racism but I came away from reading How to be an...Read MoreTen Days that Changed the World Mark Chupp June 22, 2020 Words create worlds. The power of narrative affects the future. The one that controls the narrative controls the future. We...Read MoreConfronted by unanticipated expenses and greatly reduced revenues due to COVID-19, local governments are searching for a way to balance their budgets. Fortunately, Black Lives Matter is showing...Read MoreInventing Organisations: an emergent response to growth Power and Participation As community development workers, we invite community members in to discover ways of working together...Read MoreThe goal of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) is to leverage a group’s collective strengths to engage in action that leads to change. ABCD reflects an inclusion-embracing worldview, and...Read MorePosting this from a Facebook conversation where some students were seeking articles- specifically for assignments and such. Here is a working document that is from the Literature Review of my...Read MoreRecently, I was asked if Community Building, in particular, Asset Based Community Development, could reduce or prevent crime. My candid response was yes. The look on the questioner’s face...Read MorePutting my "Listing" Gifts to Work right now (COVID + ABCD Resource List)
By April Doner, 2020-05-08Since COVID-19 erupted, I've been trying to find the "right" way to be useful. My attempts to help connect my neighborhood in Indianapolis, which I've moved from for now so my family can have...Read MoreSpend any time around community organisations, community services, educational facilities, health facilities and government agencies you will stumble across the term Social Justice Principles....Read MoreBook Review - Having Nothing, Possessing Everything, by Michael Mather
By Robert Francis, 2020-04-27An Occasional Book Review -- Michael Mather, Having Nothing, Possessing Everything: finding abundant communities in unexpected places My friend and fellow ABCD faculty member...Read MoreCovid-19 Cannot Harm Your Gifts Where do gifts come from? Whether you believe your gifts spring from your genetic makeup, a scientific phenomenon like a “big bang”, or as a gift from a...Read More
