Forum Activity for @eva-yakutis

Learning ABCD: Conference or Videos/Workbooks?

Training

I would encourage you to attend the NeighborhoodsUSA (NUSA) conference next spring in Eugene, Oregon. (See NUSA.org) NUSA is a national non-profit dedicated to improving neighborhoods through community mobilization and leadership capacity building and improving partnerships and collaboration between community sectors. The conference is ABCD focused, with John McKnight having provided a keynote and a workshop last year. The conference is very affordable (225.00 for three days of workshops and activities and networking and food and fun) and is open to all -- residents, government, non-profits, all interested sectors of a community. This year's keynote will be Jim Diers who is faculty at the ABCD Institute and a wonderful presenter and ABCD practitioner.

I am on the NUSA board of directors and would be happy to answer any questions you may have. My email address is evayakutis@gmail.com

Community organizing vs. Community Development?

ABCD and Community Organizing/Engagement

Community Development is a broad term that refers to the strategy and processes leading to improving the quality of life in a community in all areas: jobs, housing, physical environment, business, education, health, safety, social capital, etc.

A critical element to successful Community Development within an asset based community development approach (ABCD) is Community Organizing. ABCD stands for the proposition that it is people/relationships (aka "social capital") that are the answer to sustained community improvement. Community Organizing provides a mechanism for building social capital and community connections that are more powerful and effective at improving and sustaining communities than the more traditional needs approach.

In a general sense, as I see it, "ABCD Organizers" are community organizers committed to community development within the ABCD framework developed by Kretzmann and McKnight. I am not sure that there is any "ownership" rights to the acronym "ABCD" or if there is some sort of certification process one needs in order to use "ABCD" legitimately in their title. That would be good to know....

What are you reading?

Open Discussions

I am reading The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife by Marc Freedman. I am about to "retire" from government work and approach the work and life from the other side of the fence! Maybe a coffee shop with cup mail......