--- title: Relearning to be a Citizen description: When we are born, we start our lives as citizens of our family and community, and slowly become consumers of products, services and systems that leads us to believe we are better off and safer. image: https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Photos/Image%20Library/Street%20Crossing.jpg --- [![20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Administration/Tamarack%20Logos/20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png?width=200&height=47&name=20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png "20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange")](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) # Relearning to be a Citizen Posted on October 17, 2019 [By Heather Keam](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/heather-keam) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Street Crossing](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Photos/Image%20Library/Street%20Crossing.jpg?width=352&name=Street%20Crossing.jpg)I am taking part in my first book club and we are reading John McKnight and Peter Block’s book, *The Abundant Community, Awakening the Power of Families and Neighbourhoods*. A few chapters in and I have gone from confusion to amazement in my thinking process.  When we are born, we start our lives as citizens of our family and community, and slowly become consumers of products, services and systems that lead us to believe we are better off and safer. When we think like a system we tend to identify the problem by labeling a specific target - for example, the ‘youth problem’ - however, John and Peter point out that it is not the youth with the problem but the neighbourhood and community.  As I turn on the news every night, I hear about financial deficit, cut backs to programs and services, and watch people try to figure out what do. I can’t help but think that something is wrong, we can’t keep running our towns and cities as services and systems. We as individuals, living in communities, need to relearn what it is to be a citizen and start helping ourselves and our neighbours with our gifts and assets.  One approach that is gaining momentum in Canada is Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD). ABCD looks for, and starts from, people’s gifts and strengths (assets). These assets equip people to create local opportunities and respond to needs and challenges in their neighbourhoods. ABCD goes beyond any individual’s gifts or particular group’s strengths to consider how these may come together to create broader changes for the common good within a community. This approach helps move groups, organizations and institutions from being the experts, working with the medical model, to be an animator who supports community to think and do “by us for us”.  The ABCD approach is based on these following principles: - **Everyone has Gifts**: Each person in a community has something to contribute! - **Relationships Build Community**: People must be connected for sustainable development. - **Citizens at the Centre:** Citizens must be viewed as actors— not as passive recipients. - **Leaders Involve Others****:** Strength comes from a broad base of community action. - **People Care****:** Listening to people’s interests challenges myths of apathy. - **Listen****:** Decisions should come from conversations where people are truly heard. - **Ask****:** Generating ideas by asking questions is more sustainable than giving solutions. Understanding what ABCD is and how it works through principles, practices and values can get confusing and frustrating to put it all together. We have been working with John McKnight, Cormac Russell and the ABCD Community of Practice to put together an [ABCD at a glance](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/library/guide-asset-based-community-development-at-a-glance?hsLang=en) document that synthesizes what ABCD is, outlines the approach and puts it together in a way that will give you an overview and see if it is the right approach for your work. This document can also help you to build the case with your champions and stakeholders.    I ask you as a person, an association or organization to think about how to change the conversation -  How can you support people to be citizens and support citizens to deepen their community?  **Learn More:** - Check out [ABCD at a Glance](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/library/guide-asset-based-community-development-at-a-glance?hsLang=en) - Learn about[ Four Essential Elements of ABCD Process](https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/4_Essential_Elements_of_ABCD_Process.pdf) - Access the[ Basic Guide to ABCD Community Organization](https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/publications/publications-by-topic/Documents/A%20Basic%20Guide%20to%20ABCD%20Community%20Organizing(3).pdf) - Visit[ ABCD Canada website](https://www.deepeningcommunity.org/abcd-canada-home?hsLang=en&__hstc=163327267.2aac2104d7a341bfd3155ecd13bd2b49.1562587979851.1571316219917.1571318131134.254&__hssc=163327267.21.1571318131134&__hsfp=967048510) - Learn more about the[ ABCD Institute](https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/publications/publications-by-topic/Pages/default.aspx#_abcdbasics) Topics: [Community Building](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/community-building), [ABCD](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/abcd), [Community Change](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/community-change) ![Heather Keam](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/heather.png) ### By [Heather Keam](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/heather-keam) Heather works with municipalities and organizations to build strategies that put people at the center using Asset-Based Community Development. With over 22 years of experience in community development, she uses an ABCD approach to center people and belonging in the development of community plans and strategies through coaching and training staff teams, facilitation, and writing about ABCD and Belonging. She has a passion for the power of people and believes that people and communities are the solutions to local problems. She believes that we need to build a sense of community belonging so that people are connected to their community, and their place within it and get involved in decision-making. She also believes that municipalities need to shift the way they show up in community from doing “for” to supporting communities to do themselves. ## Related Posts [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/changemakers.jpeg)](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/creating-community-for-changemakers?hsLang=en-us) #### [Creating Community for Changemakers](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/creating-community-for-changemakers?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Community-driven-pathways-blog-post-staff-office-widescreen.png)](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/five-community-driven-pathways-for-systems-change?hsLang=en-us) #### [Five Community-Driven Pathways for Systems Change](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/five-community-driven-pathways-for-systems-change?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/ABCD-2.png)](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/three-benefits-of-asset-based-community-development-abcd-for-communities-and-governments?hsLang=en-us) #### [Three Benefits of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) for Communities (and Governments)](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/three-benefits-of-asset-based-community-development-abcd-for-communities-and-governments?hsLang=en-us) [![BACK TO THE LATEST](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/316071/e6ffa9bb-4467-4833-8ecc-eb340b11d829.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/316071/e6ffa9bb-4467-4833-8ecc-eb340b11d829) [![20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Administration/Tamarack%20Logos/20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png?width=3401&name=20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png "20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange")](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) ### Tamarack [Home](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) [Latest](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest) [Events](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/eventlisting?hsLang=en-us) [Donate](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/donate?hsLang=en-us) [About](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/whoweare?hsLang=en-us) ### Follow Us [** ** ](https://www.facebook.com/TamarackInstitute) [** ** ](https://twitter.com/Tamarack_Inst) [** ** ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tamarack-institute-for-community-engagement)   In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth we honour and acknowledge that our work occurs across Turtle Island (North America), which has been home since time immemorial to the ancestors of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. ### Subscribe Be in the know. 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