Connecting Communities Workshop

1. HELPING LOCAL PEOPLE DO
EXTRAORDINARY THINGS.
James Hampson
Connecting Communities
Co-ordinator
Forever Manchester
Connecting Communities Workshop

2. Introductions
• Tell us who you are and something that you are
good at
• What brings you to the session?
• What interests you about today?

3. Forever Manchester
• Community Foundation for Greater Manchester
• Been active for 26 Years
• Raise and distribute funds to communities of Greater
Manchester
• 2011 We discovered a different way of working
• Developed the UK’s first dedicated ABCD Community
Building Team
• We work with Communities to help them do “Extraordinary
things together”

4. What do you want for your
group/Community?
• More activities
• More people involved
• To be able to do more
• Safer
• Happier
• More Connected
• Cleaner

5. Principals of Community Building
 Start with discovering people’s strengths
 Start with relationship building
 Local led action is more durable and sustainable
than professional programmes
 When the conversation shifts from “isn’t it awful” to
“what’s possible?” Real community building begins

6. Problem Focused
• What Problems do you think can be created by
this approach?
• Competition between groups
• Apathy
• Negative Stereotypes
• Loss of local pride
• Dependency

7. When people care about something
enough, they have a motivation to act.

8. What is Asset Based Community
Development?
• ABCD is a different way of viewing communities
• It encourages people to think about and explore
what skills and talents are already in the community
• Communities and everyone in them are better off
when they work together and share these skills

9. We Can GameCredit - Cormac Russell of Nurture Development and Inclusion Press

10. TheWe Can Game
• The game can be used to get people thinking
differently about their capacities/assets
• Can begin the process of asset mapping individuals
• It can start to identify people to invite in to our
community efforts
• Google “We Can Game”

11. A shopping list

12. What are Assets?
There are 4 key Assets in every community…
1) Individuals
2) Associations
3) Institutions
4) Physical Assets
5) Connections

13. What are Assets?
1) Individuals
• At the centre of ABCD are residents of the
community that have gifts and skills.
• Everyone has assets and gifts.
• Individual gifts and assets need to be recognized and
identified.
• In community development you cannot do anything
with people’s needs, only their assets.
• Deficits or needs are only useful to institutions.

14. What Are Your Gifts?

15. Assets of the Head
• Take 3 Post–It Notes
• Write your name on each note
• Write down 3 Gifts of the Head, one on each note
– Things I know something about and would enjoy
talking about with others

16. Assets of the Heart
• Take 3 more Post–It Notes
• Write your name on each note
• Write down 3 Gifts of the Heart, one on each note
-Things I am passionate about, things that
make me take action

17. Assets of the Hands
• Take 3 more Post–It Notes
• Write your name on each note
• Write down 3 Gifts of the Hands, one on each note
– Things or skills I know how to do and could
potentially share with others
– Things you can make, fix, build or produce

18. Head, Heart, Hands
• This is a good exercise to do with groups
• Can start a conversation about ideas
• Start connections around mutual gifts
• Creates Conversation
• Fun way to discover individuals community assets
• Can be used to make connections between people
(more on this later)

19. What are Assets?
2) Associations
• Small formal and informal groups of people
• Clubs working with a common interest as volunteers
are called associations in ABCD and are critical to
community mobilization.
• They are coming together around a common
interest by their individual choice

20. Community Associations
• Every effort should be made to contact and include
as many as possible
• Associations can take on new roles e.g. Community
Funday
• Informal Associations are as useful as formal
associations

21. Community Associations
• Get things Started!
• Buildings
• Resources
• Create Space
• Experience e.g. funding applications
• Skills and talents of members
• Encourage others to get involved
• CollectiveVoice

22. What are Assets?
3) Institutions/Service providers
• Paid groups of people who generally are
professionals who are structurally organized are
called institutions.
• They include government agencies and private
business, as well as schools, etc.
• They can all be valuable resources.
• The assets of these institutions help the community
capture valuable resources and establish a sense of
civic responsibility.

23. Asset Mapping
Asset Mapping allows us to build up a picture of what
assets are available for us to use and mobilise.
On a physical map of where you live you can identify the
• Institutions
• Physical Assets
• Associations

24. Asset Mapping
In groups come up with a way to record and show any
groups, institutions and physical assets in you
community

25. Asset Mapping
• This exercise is especially effective with small groups of residents
• Asset Mapping is a good way of getting people talking
• An Asset Map can be useful in inspiring community action and
involvement
• Informal groups who regularly meet are worth adding and connecting
• Make sure that the map is visible and accessible by everyone in the
community
• Always review and add to the map

26. The Power of Two
• If one person spent one day having a conversation to
two people about what they could create (1+2)
• If the next day, those two people each had a
conversation with two different people (1+2+2+2)
• And so forth
• Then in 10 days, 2047 people would be having a
conversation
• In 15 days, 65,536 people would be in conversation
• In 20 days, 2 million people would be in conversation
Asset Based Community Development Institute

27. Finding People
• Meet and talk to people in spaces they
naturally meet
• Start a different conversation about
themselves and Community Life
• Map the assets instead of identifying
the needs
• Shift the conversation from what’s
wrong to what’s strong
• Positive questions will receive a
positive response
• What types of questions might we ask?

28. Finding People
• Do you know about the event we’re having?
• Have you got any hobbies or interests?
• What sort of stuff do you do to keep the kids busy?
• Have you ever had an Idea for something you’d like to do in the
community?
• What are you good at?
• What do you really care about?
• Can you help us?

29. What are Assets?
5) Connections
• Assets become stronger when they are connected
together
• Connections between people based on strengths
build healthy relationships

30. Connecting
• Connecting Community Assets is the key to
Community Building
• Quite simply it is the building of relationships
between different members of the community for
shared benefits
• Relationships are built on shared and compatible
strengths
• Connections should be made between all
members and organisations in the community
• Ideas and Community Projects are perfect arenas
for people to build Connections

31. Connect the room

32. Host a party!

33. Stories
• Community Stories can help to create a
shared history and sense of belonging
• Stories can motivate and inspire others
• Tell of a time when people came
together and achieved something
extraordinary
• Sharing success continues and builds
community momentum

34. Do you really need funding?
At sometimes all groups will need funds to make
themselves bigger and better but first consider this
• By looking around the community you can make your
money go further
• Do local businesses want to sponsor you?
• Can you add a small fee?
• Are you raising money to give to someone else?
• Benefits include
• More people involved
• Raises local awareness
• Funding can help others in the community

35. Fundraising
• What do you fundraise for?
• How do you fundraise?
• Where do you get donations from?

36. What can each of
these groups do?
Who do these
people know?

37. Summary
• Start with discovering Strengths
• Connect with as many people in the area as possible
• Local led action is more durable and sustainable that
professional led action
• Become comfortable telling your stories
• HAVE FUN AND MAKE NOISE

38. How you can help Forever Manchester
• Fundraise and donate to us!
• Self Fundraise
• Spread the word about us
• Tell us your stories