Asset Based Community

Development Experiences in

Australia- Presentation Notes -

Peter KenyonDirector

Bank of IDEAS(Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising

Action and Strategies)Ph: 61 8 9293 0623Fax: 61 8 6293 1137

email: pk@bankofideas.com.auweb: www.bankofideas.com.au

‘Communities have never been built upon their deficiencies.

Building community has always depended upon

mobilizing the capacities and assets of a people and a place.

That is why a map of community assets is necessary if local people are to find the

way toward empowerment and renewal.’

(J. McKnight & J. Kretzmann)

Communities have

deficiencies and needs

Communities and it’s citizens

Have capacities and assets

COMMUNITY NEEDS MAPUnemployment

Vacant Shops Run

Down Shopping

Centre

Homelessness

Truancy

Dysfunctional Families

WelfareDependency

AlcoholismDrug Abuse

Youth Suicide

Loss of Community Spirit

ChildAbuse

Mental Health

Crime

Bullying

Graffiti

Early School Leavers

Illiteracy

COMMUNITY ASSETS MAP

LOCAL INSTITUTIONS & RESOURCES

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS

GIFTS OF INDIVIDUAL

Local Businesses

Ovals

Hospital

Schools

Service Clubs

Neigh -bourhood

House

Community Organisation

s

Sporting Teams

Churches Young People

All Residents

Senior Citizens

Community Stories

Artists

LabelledPeople

Local FacilitiesGovernm

ent Agencies

Local Council

‘A campaign which will celebrate the great place that Geraldton is. It will

encourage people to strive, by working together, to make

Geraldton even better through their own

enterprise and initiative.’

(J. McKnight & J. Kretzmann)

‘To build a healthier, vibrant community with an

energy for a change, a sense of pride, trust and a spirit of self – reliance. In doping so, we create a city of fun and goodwill that is positive about its future’

Vision:

1. Instil community pride and confidence

2. Recognise the importance of local business vitality

3. Develop a creative community

4. Enhance community commitment to local business

5. Create a positive community mindset

6. Encourage community participation

Campaign Objectives

'Harrow was down to being a two keg a week place, and struggling … it needed an outside income … we looked within and identified

our assets - location to other tourism product, its history as the oldest inland town in Victoria, and a cemetery full of great stories.

With these assets we have scripted a story based on the

towns heritage and folklore, and the rest is definitely history ...’

(Angela Newton, Publican, Heritage Hotel, Harrow)

Pub went from 2 kegs to 20 kegs a week $250,000 in ticket sales annually 3 new businesses in main street 3 new accommodation businesses Renewed sense of pride and confidence Development of a $700,000 Indigenous Cricket Interpretive Centre Beaut Blokes Weekends – now franchised nationally

HARROW ACHIEVEMENT

WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS IN TWO WAYS– 1. What is wrong with our community?

What problems can we fix?What are the needs of our community?What is broken?

OR 

2. What are the strengths and assets of our community?

Share a time when you felt our community was at it’s best?

What do you value most about our community?

What is the essence of our community that makes it

unique and strong?

SMALL POPULATION LIMITED FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL CAPACITY COMMODITY PRICE DEPENDANT INDUSTRIES LOSS OF CRITICAL BUSINESS ISOLATION CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS POOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT FEW RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES LIMITED HOUSING UNHEALTHY WATER

YALGOO – CHALLENGES

‘CAN DO’ COUNCIL SKILLS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY INDIGENOUS POPULATION AND CULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE - RAILWAY DAMS - RAILWAY STATION MINING INDUSTRY PASTORAL INDUSTRY LOCATION

YALGOO ASSETS

YALGOO TOURISM APPEAL

GATEWAY TO OUTBACK

INDIGENOUS CULTURE & HERITAGE

MINING, PASTORAL & RAIL HERITAGE

GREAT STORIES

MONSIGNOR HAWES HERITAGE TRAIL

WILDFLOWERS

ANIMAL LIFE

Suburb of

Willagee(City of Melville,

WA)

‘In the early 1950’s when the demand for housing became acute

the State Housing Commission planned a new suburb in the Melville district to be called

Willagee which was the aboriginal name for a lake in the district.

The concept was for a population of 6,000 to serve as a dormitory

for an area then beginning to become industrialized.’

(p 134, The City of Melville: From Bushveld to Expanding Metropolis)

Name Willagee

Smelling Lake

or

Ochre?

In every community something works.

Change can be achieved by

identifying what works and focusing on doing more of

what works.

Appreciative InquiryAI is a reaction to problem based and

deficiency focused change methodologies. It is the cooperative search for the best in people, their

organisations and their community. It involves systematic discovery of what has happened in the past, and what gives a person, an organisation or

community ‘life’ when most effective and capable. AI involves the act and

practice of asking questions that strengthen capacity to heighten

positive potential.

1. Looking back over your time working with the City of Melville, share a high point – a time when you felt most alive, a time when you felt you were making a difference – what was it that made you feel this way?

2. What do you value most about – - yourself- the people you work with- the orgnisation?

3. If you had 3 wishes for the organisation, what would they be

City of Melville Staff WorkshopDiscussion Questions

Kentish Positive

Futures Program(Tasmania)

Kentish Positive Future aimed to build community pride and

confidence, community capacity, greater community participation and

leadership

Vision and Plan of ActionBased on:

experience of pride and achievement of the past; assets, skills and capacities of its residents, organisations and networks; shared community values; windows of opportunity for embracing social, economic and cultural life; and future aspirations and hopes of community members.

Central Coast

Community

Congress(From 2002)

Three Congress Events (2002, 2004, 2006)

ABCD Tool Kit

Video of Initiatives

(www.communitycongress.org)

‘Supporting young

people to pursue to

personal,

community and

career aspirations’

HANDS (things I know how to do and enjoy, e.g.

project organisation, gardening, painting, rock

climbing, cooking, jewellery making, using the

internet, sign language etc)

HEART (things I care deeply about, e.g. environment, intergenerational activities,

animal welfare, women’s rights, youth

unemployment etc)

HEAD (things I know something about, and would

enjoy talking about or teaching to others about,

e.g. local history, conservation, business management etc)

Community Skills and Passion Audit

(Creating Rural Enterprising Attitudes Through Education)

C.R.E.A.T.E. Initiative

Curriculum Themes of the C.R.E.A.T.E. Initiative

I Understanding change in rural Australia

II Knowing oneself and one’s strengths

III Discovering what it means to be an enterprising person, community and business

enterprising individuals enterprising businesses enterprising communities

IV Exploring our community as a place of opportunity auditing the community appreciating its uniqueness, assets and “windows of opportunity”

V Testing and tasting the enterprise option idea generation and critical thinking social entrepreneurialism understanding the world of business testing enterprising ideas

‘Every single person has capacities,

abilities and gifts. Living a good life

depends on whether those capacities can

be used, abilities expressed and gifts

given’ 

(John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann)

‘Every time a person uses his or her capacity, the community is stronger and the person more powerful. That is why strong

communities are basically places where the capacities of local residents are identified,

valued and used. Weak communities are places that fail, for whatever reason, to mobilise the skills capacities

and talents of their residents or members.’

(Asset-Based Community Development Institute)

Top down, outside in

Weaknesses

Deficiencies, needs

 

Disabilities

 

Silo provision

 

Consumers of services

 

Dependence on outside

Asset BasedCommunity

Development

Traditional Community

DevelopmentInside out

Strengths

Assets, opportunities

 Abilities, capacities

 Collaboration Relationships, networking 

Producers of services

 Importance of Professional’s and relationships

Seven Pillars Of A Healthy Community

 Practices ongoing dialogue

Generates leadershipShapes its future

Embraces diversityKnows itself

Connects people and resourcesCreates a sense of community

 (Healthy Cities and Communities Coalition, USA)

Strong Communities 

have strong leadershave strong networks with other

communitiescan build on their existing assets and

resourceshave a ‘can-do’ community spirit and

are optimistic about the futurecan grasp the opportunities that come

their wayhave a sense of ‘belonging’ to the

community among it’s membersembrace change and take

responsibility(Stronger Families, Stronger Communities at Department of Family

and Community Services)

Successful Communities

Build on the strengths of local individuals, associations and institutions;

Focus on specific actions and measurable results to improve community life;

Promote participation by people of all races, genders, cultures and age groups;

Ensure local decision making and ownership; Draw upon the resources of the whole

community; Bridge all sectors to develop healthy children,

families and communities,and Share experience and knowledge to promote

continuous community learning.

(According to Prime Ministers Youth Pathways Action Plan Taskforce 2001)

Contact Details

Peter KenyonPh: +61 8 6293 1848 Fax: + 61 8 6293 1137

14 Bird Rd, Kalamunda WA 6076 

Email for copy of presentation:

pp@bankofideas.com.au

Website for bookshop & newsletter mailing list:

www.bankofideas.com.au