Mobilizing Assets for Community Driven

Development

Brianne PetersCoady International

InstituteApril 29-May 3, 2013

St. Andrews Debrief

What were the factors that led to the success of this community?

How did they mobilize resources to get things done?

What challenges did they face and how did they overcome them (or not)? What challenges do they still face today?

Does any part of their story resonate with your experience?

What is your key take away from meeting with citizens of St. Andrews?

Needs, Assets and Citizens

Neighborhood 1 and Neighborhood 2

Coady International Institute 2011

Coady International Institute 2011

ABCD focuses on the half full part of the glass where the strengths, capacities and assets of the community lie.

For too long community workers have only paid attention to the half empty part: people’s needs and problems

Asset- Based Community Development (ABCD): A focus on assets

Unintended consequences of a needs-based approach

Leadership emphasizes community “needs” in order to secure resources:

“Our people are poor, we need your help!”

Community members internalize what their leaders are saying:

“We are poor, we have nothing, we need help” (a deficit mentality)

A dependence on relationships with outsiders rather than relationships within the community

“We need you to help us because we cannot help ourselves or each other”

Leadership emphasizes community strengths and recognizes the contributions of all community members.

“Look at all we have done in the past. We should be proud.”

Community members internalize what their leaders are saying and feel confident in their abilities and capacity to act.

“Here is what we can do. Lets use our skills to do more!”

Relationships and leadership inside the community are the forces that drive development activities. External actors are attracted to the community’s success. “Here is what we are doing. Would you like to contribute?”

Consequences of an asset-based approach

a growing recognition of strengths and assets in every community

ABCD also emerged from…

And the idea that assets (no matter how few)…

….are resources for making livelihoods and coping with life’s setbacks

….provide us with a sense of identity and meaningful engagement with the world

….provide us with the capacity to act ….motivate us to get involved as citizens

or entrepreneursBebbington, 1999

….and so create agents of development

The Story of my Grandmother

What do we mean by assets at the community level?

Stories Knowledge, experiences, innovations, talents

and skills of individuals Physical assets and natural resources Financial resources Cultural assets (including traditions of mutual aid

and collective action) Rights, claims and entitlements Associations and social networks (including

the community’s diaspora) Local institutions

Institutions Associations

The difference between associations and institutions

Compare and contrast

Focus on needs needs Responds to problemsproblems CharityCharity or entitlemententitlement

orientation Emphasis on external

agenciesagencies Power comes from credentialscredentials “Motivation to act”- incentives, incentives,

terms of employmentterms of employment Goal is excellentexcellent serviceservice People are clients, consumersclients, consumers ProgramsPrograms are the answer are the answer

Service Delivery Responsive investment

Compare and contrast

Focus on needs needs Responds to problemsproblems CharityCharity or entitlemententitlement

orientation Emphasis on external

agenciesagencies Power comes from credentialscredentials “Motivation to act”- incentives, incentives,

terms of employmentterms of employment Goal is excellentexcellent serviceservice People are clients, consumersclients, consumers ProgramsPrograms are the answer are the answer

Focus on assetsassets Builds from opportunitiesopportunities InvestmentInvestment orientation Emphasis on associationsassociations Power comes from

relationshipsrelationships “Motivation to Act” – dreams, dreams,

fears, being asked to fears, being asked to contributecontribute

Goal is community-driven community-driven developmentdevelopment

People are citizens, memberscitizens, members PeoplePeople are the answer are the answer

Service Delivery Responsive investment

Active Citizenship: Horizontal and vertical dimensions

Claiming rights for self and others

Self-imposedisolation, individualism

Strong sense of civic duty: volunteerism, mutual support.Active membership of associations

Passive acceptance of status quo

Needs, Assets and Citizens - Recap

At the core, asset-based and citizen-led development occurs when:

Communities are using their own resources first before trying to get external resources

Citizens (not governments or NGOs) through their local associations are "self mobilizing” or "driving" the community development process

How do you know what you need unless you know what

you have?

“Nobody has Nothing”

These groups are marginalised and harassed : ‘the poorest of the poor’

Similar groups exist

everywhere

What livelihood opportunities are there ?

Scenario 1: Plastic Rubbish Pickers in Delhi

250,000 +, mainly women Pick from garbage, roadsides Know where to go and to sell Low value, mixed varieties and

colours Some recyclable materials Harassed by ‘official’ services, police Provide a valuable service Visible, shameful to ‘image

Coady International Institute 2011

Some of their Products

/

http://www.conserveindia.org

Scenario 2: Landless Women in Kenya Rural community located downstream

Traditional basket-weaving skills

Dwindling natural resource base:

Soil erosion is widespread,

crop disease is common, nearby lake is being overtaken by water hyacinth (a weed)

Long-standing trade arrangements with upstream communities

Status in the area is attached to quality of housing

What really happened?: Landless Women

These women collected the water hyacinth (a weed) and adapted their basket-weaving skills to construct furniture for trade with upstream communities.

Scenario 3: Street Kids in Khartoum

Organised in gangs Ruthlessly harassed: tough and

determined Energetic, strong, young Know the city, in spite of no maps or

street names or numbers Keen to learn

What really happened?: Street Kids

They organized into a tour guide association.

Scenario 4: Ex-Prostitutes in Los Bagnos

Out of work; American base closed Young, attractive Good at selling Know how to deal with authorities Know the streets

What really happened?: Ex-prostitutes

Scenario 5: Crazy bikers in London

Passionate about motor-bikes Own and cherish fast machines Deal in drugs and stolen goods to ‘feed’

their passion Used to coping with the police Know the fastest route to everywhere Compete fiercely, but strong

cameraderie

What really happened?: Crazy bikers

http://www.dtdc.in/

Bottom Line: Nobody has Nothing

Everyone has something to contribute

Courtesy of Peters Kenyon, Bank of IDEAS

Every single person has capacities, abilities, gifts

and ideas, and living a good life depends on whether those capacities can be

used, abilities expressed, gifts given and ideas

shared.

(Jody Kretzmann)

This afternoon: Hearts and Hands Art Studio

Meet at 1:00pm at Morrison Hall doors Walk down to the Tall and Small Café Take a tour of art work Return to St. Ninian’s Place to see and

hear more Wrap up at 3:00pm