Community development is in its prime when a community identifies an aspiration, organizes a collaborative plan, and invests local talent, time, and money in the cause. Ideally, the community will own and control what it has created; community development practitioners know, however, that community ownership of a venture or initiative is a rarity.
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The ABCD approach is also simple because it focuses on 6 assets - individual resident capacities, local associations, neighbourhood institutions, physical assets, exchange between neighbours, and lastly, maybe even most importantly, stories.
As you work at deepening community in your life and for those you care about, consider...Taking Risks
“Determination, energy and courage appear spontaneously when we care deeply about something. We take risks that are unimaginable in any other context.” - Meg Wheatley
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Having immersed myself in the Asset Based Community Development world, in my previous role in public health, and now at Tamarack, I keep seeing and hearing the same questions over and over. Is ABCD an inclusive process? How do you make ABCD address diversity? These questions have made me think about ABCD and does the approach address diversity and inclusion?
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“There is no way to community; community is the way.”
These were among the words that greeted me on the first morning of ABCD Healthy Neighbourhoods Healthy Cities in Edmonton in May 2019. From the very first keynote speaker, Prof. John McKnight, to the last words spoken on the third day, I was hooked. I couldn’t get enough. Often when attending conferences and seminars, I walk away with new knowledge and tools to apply in my work. This was more. I walked away from this immersive learning experience looking not only at my professional role differently, but my personal life as well. How could I help my community thrive? Do I know my neighbours? How can I get to know them better? Attending this event has impacted me in many different facets. Here are my biggest takeaways from those three amazing days:
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