Asset Based Community Development Reflection

Evan Turpen

Mission & Values

Catholic Charities is guided by four main core values . . .

RespectCompassionCompetenceStewardship

Mission & Values

The foundation of Catholic Charities includes the belief that “human life is sacred; that all humans have inherent dignity, rights and responsibilities; that social structures like marriage and the family must be supported; that the needs of the poor and vulnerable must be met; and that we must be responsible stewards of God’s creation.”

Volunteer Relations

By focusing on assets, the organization can determine . . .

Abilities of volunteers Abilities of those being served

Areas to growAreas of strengthPositive foundations to build upon

Successful initiatives

Volunteer Relations

By focusing on deficits, the organization can determine . . .

Areas of needOpportunities to expand efforts

Initiatives that need more attention

Organizational Focus

Catholic Charities consistently maintains an asset-focused perspective ranging from the daily operations to the governance of the organization as a whole.

For example, consider the positive-focused areas of service Catholic Charities offers . . .

Child DevelopmentFamily StrengtheningYouth Mentoring ServicesChild Development

Tuesday Night Supper InitiativesEvery Tuesday evening, the department I work in hosts a supper for around 150 individuals suffering from homelessness. During this, we maintain a focus on the assets of the individuals, coming together in communion for a warm meal together. Examples of this include…

Electing an individual to share their progress in the past week and- if they wish- lead the prayer for the evening.

Providing Health counseling by the Heartland Health Alliance

Resume writing and interview practice with local professional volunteers

Tuesday Night Supper Initiatives An additional program is After Supper Visions— an initiative that allows a client of the supper to rent a camera, develop the film, and showcase their work at an annual auction fundraiser. A few photos from last year’s exhibit are below . . .

“Twelve Years Developing Film, Talent and Hope”By Ray B.By Jennifer A. By Mike B.

Deficit Value

While we are operating the supper, it is integral to maintain an asset-focused approach, however, considering the deficits in community is important for identifying areas to sharpen our focus.

Deficits are valuable because more often than not, they are obvious. Without observing and recognizing deficits, it is impossible to develop an asset-based focus. Deficit identification allows our organization determine which assets in a community can most effectively mitigate these issues.

With this said, the organization understands that a deficit-based focus is somewhat shortsighted. A deficit-based focus tends to identify problems that already exist, instead of working to prevent/alleviate them at their roots. In order to instill and develop programs that are proactive, it’s strategically advantageous to focus on strengths.

Personal Values

In terms of community development, my understanding of the value of both assets and deficits is constantly evolving along with my internship experience.

As a Finance major, I came into my Social Justice internship relying far too heavily on a deficit-based perspective. I learned quickly- and continue to- that this is not always the most effective approach, especially when dealing with individuals. I’ve learned that by identifying deficits, it becomes easier to shift the perspective to leveraging assets of individuals and communities.

By focusing on assets, individuals and communities are given a positive foundation in order to develop, rather than negative shortfalls of a community. Deficit-based focuses will place a community in a stalemate, rather than uplifting the individuals.

By integrating individuals into a positive initiative, development moves forward and the organizations mission is carried forward.

Understanding of Community Development:Celebration of Giving

During the Fall semester, I assisted in coordinating the 2014 Celebration of Giving program– an initiative that serves over 6,000 children and 700 families in the city.

Though a team of two others and I ran the program, it took the efforts of over 28 Catholic Charities programs, 12 locations, and countless donors, volunteers, and caseworkers to make a positive impact on the clients of Catholic Charities for the Holiday season.

During this experience, I learned the value of utilizing the assets of both the Catholic Charities community & organization working alongside each other to make an impactful effort realized.

Sources Consulted

Catholic Charities Chicago website.

ABCD Institute web content and videos.

After Visions Supper content.