I'm looking for examples of asset mapping questions that I can use. I have 10 local ppl interested in this idea, but need some examples - any suggestions

Has anyone attempted this - what lessons was learnt?

Hi Dave,

Sounds exciting!

I'd highly recommend getting these workbooks -- I used it a lot in designing a neighborhood initiative in my community at the last place I worked.

http://www.abcdinstitute.org/publications/workbooks/

They're all good, for general purposes I usually referred to this one which is actually down-loadable in PDF (yay!)

http://www.abcdinstitute.org/docs/CapacityInventories(1).pdf

My favorite basic questions are always the open-ended

- Gifts of the Hands -- things you can do like sewing, woodwork, art, cooking

- Gifts of the Head -- things you know a lot about

- Gifts of the Heart -- things you care about deeply such as children, the elderly, etc.

- Which if any of these gifts have you ever wanted to turn into a business?

- What groups are you a part of?

- What's your dream for this community and which of your gifts would you most like to give toward making it real?

I'd love to hear more about your project, what you try and learn and what happens. I hope this helps!

-April Doner,

Sarasota, FL

Hi Sarasota

Thanks for your message - really nice to have contact. I checked out the workbooks - there are 15 of them - if I bought 3, which ones would you recommend.

I like the gifts of the ands, head and heart. I'd also add Family (as whanau/family is an important part of worldview in a Maori & Pacific Island culture. Very helpful.

Dave

Hi Dave,

This sound really interesting -- what's the story behind your project? I'm very curious and also, it would help me recommend those three -- ie. who are you working with, what kind of organization are you doing this through, if any, and what is the goal of your project? Also what are the major challenges being faced by this community?

-A

Hi April

I live in a neighborhood in South Auckland. There are about 5000 ppl in this neighborhood (Randwick Park)and the community is made up of Pacific Islanders (samoans, tongans etc), Maori (NZ Indigenous), NZ European and Indian. There is low education, high unemployment, high crime etc etc. We have a high percentage of young people (under 20), many young families and solo parents, there are very few old people living in the area.

The area has a mixture of old housing welfare, and new development (new homes, 10 years old), but the area is very under-developed with no/little shared space (no community halls, churches, developed parks ((but we have lots of empty green parks)), public toilets, one pre-school education centre, four shops (takeaways and liquor outlet). There is a small skate park, but no youth groups or youth faciities, very few local businesses, no doctor or health centre).

My family and I have relocated into this neighborhood because we come from 'faith-based' values, wanting to share what we have with others, sharing our of skills, resources, energy, time and housing with others who havent necessary had the same opportunities that we had. My wife is Maori, and has suffered from some of the injustice that is part of our NZ history, but who was also lucky to have educational opportunities.

The area has been over surveyed with 'needs based' goverment agencies that has created suspision of goverment promises.

My wife and I have joined the small local Resident Association, which we have just formed into a legal identity, and the group has becoming passionate about ABCD approach (which i am slowly introducing to the group). They want to see employment, community events, celebrations, youth activities, sports etc develop within the community, but they are not sure how to encourage this development. However the concepts behind ABCD will really help the group to plan and work on building community. The group does have a good relationship with the City Councilors and can now attract funding to help.

I'm with a Christian organisation called Urban Neighbors of Hope www.unoh.org - we really focus on areas of poverty, we relocate and live within teh same neighborhoods that we work in, we refuse to take government contracts and we live of whatever donations we can find. Its a great lifestyle. We have a wholistic view - believing neighborhoods and individuals have needs around the physical & spiritual, family and mental - and that communities are the best places to find the resources etc to meet those needs.

Major challenges are - welfare and dependency mindsets, lack of youth support, fear of neighbors, lack of social and cultural capital, very few 'shared community space' with facilities & parks that are developed for use, umemployment, gangs and drugs.

I hope that gives you some background.

Great background!!! And I appreciate so much your description of the lens you're using and the way you're naturally sharing and sparking inspiration with your neighbors.

I'd recommend these publications -

A Guide to Mapping Local Business Assets and Mobilizing Local Business Capacities

Community Transformation: Turning Threats into Opportunities

and also - i'd throw this in too:

http://www.abcdinstitute.org/docs/VoluntaryAssociations.pdf (not as much a guide as showing the potential for associations -- formal and informal -- to contribute tons to real neighborhood change beyond what they're already doing [which is also often under appreciated])

I look forward to hearing how it goes using these tools! One of the main things I've gotten from these materials and from working with other ABCD folks is that so much of it is about using the underlying philosophy in your own unique place and time and trusting your creativity. The first workbook has very valuable "Do's" and "Don'ts", useful learning from folks who've done it already. BUT the main body is simply examples of questions and processes different places have come up with. So it sounds like you are already very far along, because you have the most important ingredient already -- neighbors excited about the possibilities and eager to know the assets!

Please keep me/us posted.

I'd like to share some more about my own local project, thanks for inspiring me to do so

-April

p.s. it's so neat we're sharing this great stuff across continents!

Thanks April - not sure I can order Community Transformation due to not living in the USA - is there any other way of ordering this book.

The other reads look interesting

Dave