Asset-based community development

Needs-based community development emphasizes local deficits and looks to outside agencies for resources. In contrast, asset-based community development focuses on honing and leveraging existing strengths within the community. Related to tenets of empowerment, it postulates that solutions to community problems already exist within a community’s assets. Principles that guide ABCD include: • Everyone has gifts: Each person in a community has something to contribute. • Relationships build a community: People must be connected in order for sustainable community development to take place. • Citizens at the center: Citizens should be viewed as actors—not recipients—in development. • Leaders involve others: Community development is strongest when it involves a broad base of community action. • People care: Challenge notions of "apathy" by listening to people's interests. • Listen: Decisions should come from conversations where people are heard. • Ask: Asking for ideas is more sustainable than giving solutions. • Inside-out organization: Local community members are in control. • Institutions serve the community: Institutional leaders should create opportunities for community-member involvement, then "step back." == Tools ==

The ABCD approach uses several tools to assess and mobilize communities. Capacity inventory • Skills Information: lists the many skills that a person has gained at home, work, in the community, or elsewhere. Examples of these skills can include internet knowledge, hair-cutting, listening, wallpapering, carpentry, sewing, babysitting, etc. • Community Skills: lists the community work in which a person has participated to determine future work they may be interested in. • Enterprising Interests and Experience: lists past experience in business and determines interest in starting a business. • Personal Information: lists minimum information for follow-up. Asset mapping There are five key assets in any given community: individuals, associations, institutions, physical assets, and connections. These assets are broken down into three categories: Gifts of individuals, Citizens’ Associations, and Local Institutions. Neighbors and local organizations share skills with one another and earn and spend ‘TimeBank Hours’ or ‘credits’ in the process, allowing an hour of child care to equal an hour of home repair or tax preparation. ==Ethics==

Since ABCD relies on existing community assets to create change, it has been criticized for implying that disadvantaged communities have all the resources they need to solve community problems. According to the ABCD Institute, however, ABCD methodology recognizes that systemic injustice may require disadvantaged communities to seek assistance from outside the community. ABCD maintains that interventions from exterior sources will be most effective when a community’s assets are leveraged at full capacity. ==Examples==

There are 17 ABCD sites in Leeds, in the UK, developed under a programme which started in 2013. ==See also==