Cormac Russell ABCD Training courses report

©SCARLETDESIGNINT.LTD2015
Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)
Training Courses with Cormac Russell
25.11.14 at the University of South Wales
11 & 12.02.15 at the Coleg y Cymoedd Nantgarw Campus
Hosted by the ‘Working With Not To’ Co-Production Project, Scarlet Design Int. Ltd. and Cynefin RCT
w www.workingwithnotto.com
e workingwithnotto@gmail.com
@workingwithnot2
The ESF Funded Cwm Taf Regional Collaboration
Board Consultation Project for their kind sponsorship,
which has meant we were able to offer the free
community places on these training courses.
With thanks for their support to:

2 ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) TRAINING COURSES WITH CORMAC RUSSELL REPORT
Introduction..................................................................................................................................................... Page 3
Phil Vickery’s proposals ABCD Action within RCT.......................................................................................... Page 4
Combined ABCD Training Attendee List......................................................................................................... Page 5
Fran O’Hara’s Sketchnotes............................................................................................................................. Page 6
Participant Feedback...................................................................................................................................... Page 7
Photostory....................................................................................................................................................... Page 8
Nurture Development’s ABCD Guidesheets ................................................................................................. Page 10
CONTENTS
Who was in
the room?
50+ by the
end of the
3 days of
training!

3
Hello,
This report is a summary of the three Asset Based Development
(ABCD) Training sessions we have co-hosted in RCT.
On 25.11.14 we co-hosted a 1 day ABCD training workshop
with Cormac Russell from Nurture Development and a group of
30+ people from a range of sectors and backgrounds. It was an
inspiring and energised day, with Cormac personalising the training
to the group in the room, and providing ideas, solutions and real
life stories for many of the challenges we are currently facing.
The feedback to the event was very positive, with the group
suggesting that many more people would have liked to attend,
and that they would recommend it to colleagues and connections
if we ran it again. In response to this, Cormac kindly agreed to
run another 2 day training workshop. By the end of these over 50
people have attended.
We’re very proud that we started with the £1500.00 ESF funding
organised by Gabi Torkington, Cynefin RCT Co-ordinator. Through
ticket sales we were able to co-produce 3 days training from an
initial 2 day budget; whilst also still being able to offer some free
community places – co-production in action!
What are our next steps? (They can be big strides or baby ones...)
We’ve been asked if we are repeating the training or run day 2. If
there is sufficient demand we can do it, please get in touch!
Several project ideas emerged in the end planning session, and we
are keen to hear from anyone interested to taking things forward.
Phil Vickery has proposal which you can read on page 4. Interlink
RCT are looking at how they can incorporate ABCD into their work.
Delegates from Torfaen are also looking at a potential future event.
Chris Bolton from ‘Good Practice Wales’ has written a blog about
how ‘Men Sheds’ are good for wellbeing can be read here.
So a lot of momentum, but we need something concrete. Cormac
has pencilled in a potential event in his diary for 28 April - what
could this look like. It could be day 3 of ABCD training and opened
out to include people who haven’t been able to attend the first two
sessions. It could be a project ideas sharing and planning and/or
community of practice event?
Cormac is keen to support us, and keep the momentum going.
This is our opportunity to work with him to make change happen,
especially as this approach follows the ‘direction of travel in terms
of planning local services’ and aligns with
prudent healthcare.
The challenges on public services and
communities in Wales are clear. Focusing
on an asset-based model rather than a
deficiet... What can we use what we have,
and how can we all work together better?
Please share this report and email me
if you would like us to coproduce
something together.
Thanks Fran O’Hara
Director, The ‘Working With Not To’
Co-production Project
ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) TRAINING COURSES WITH CORMAC RUSSELL REPORT
INTRODUCTION

4 ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) TRAINING COURSES WITH CORMAC RUSSELL REPORT4
Following our ABCD sessions last week The following is proposed
as a possible activity making use of the principles involved.
Issue
It is proposed that Supporting People funding that provides
support for elderly residents in sheltered accommodation is
removed leaving them without needed assistance.
Proposed Activity to address this:
• Informally gather residents to ask the question “How best do
you want to be supported?”
• The results of this will be put to other groups who are or could
be involved in providing that support. These being:- family
carers and relatives, careworkers currently providing the
support and neighbours to the sheltered project.
• Connectors are sought within these gatherings and brought
together in a forum to discuss ways in which the aspirations
of the residents can be met in a more community based way.
Possibly making use of the informal support of other residents,
family carers, community neighbours and some of the existing
careworkers, if ways of financing these can be found (e.g. direct
payments of money provided via local authority social care but
used creatively.)
Result hoped for...
A continued level of support but delivered in a more informal,
creative way, that affirms the role of family carer, neighbour, and
friends, as well as empowering the resident themselves: making
use of paid careworkers in a non-institutional way as personal
assistants who are part of the community rather than external
visitors. This will be based within the sheltered unit and not
involving travel to external institutions such as day centres or the
need to move residents to establishments with greater support.
This is a suggested less institutional result although the actual
result will depend upon the expressed aspirations of the residents
and other groups.
Resources Needed
• Stories of similar activities such as Cormac’s story of his
brother, to encourage a ‘We can’ attitude.
• Possible work amongst the various groups to explore their
abilities and talents that can be used collectively to meet these
needs and to enable their self confidence and community. ( Self
Reliant Groups can provide this encouragement but other ways
can be used)
Way forward
At the moment this is for discussion to see who is interested in
pursuing it. Those of us involved in housing provision or social
services departments will have an obvious interest and input into
this so their involvement would be appreciated.
Further information is also needed in respect of locations of and
extent of need for support within sheltered units. Some of us
may have interest within this issue because of Sheltered housing
establishments in our neighbourhood or even relatives living in
sheltered units. Some may see other groups of people who face
a similar dilemma because of the removal of Supporting People
monies and see application of these ideas elsewhere. Please
respond and we will see what happens from there.
Phill Vickery
Community Development Worker – Blaenycwm Chapel
maggieandphill@homecall.co.uk
07814126849
PHILVICKERY’S PROPOSAL-ABCD ACTION WITHIN RCT

5
NAME ORGANISATION
Louisa Addiscott Glyncoch Regen LTD
Diana Berriman Severn Wye Energy
Gail Beynon Early Years and Family Support Services
Chris Bolton Wales Audit Office
Siân Bunston Communities First
Tony Burnell Ynysybwl Enterprise Programme
Emma Cambray-Stacey TBCB
Leigh Caveney Rhondda Housing Association
Becky Davies Natural Resources Wales
Karen Davies Purple Shoots Business Lending Ltd
Liz Dean RCT CBC
Samantha Evans Cymryd Rhan
Geraint Evans RCT CBC
Maria Gallagher Public Health Wales
Kelly Hayes Communities First
Jayne Hunt Severn Wye Energy
Simon James Interlink RCT
Tracey James Newydd Housing Association
Nicola John Cwm Taf University Health Board
Angela Jones Public Health Wales
Dr Tim Jones Pumpco
Nicola Lewis Communities First
Bethan Lewis Communities First
Fran O’Hara Scarlet Design Int / WWNT
Gwenda Owen Community Engagement & Active Travel Specialist
Adriana Owens Scarlet Design Int / WWNT
NAME ORGANISATION
Marit Parker Post Grad Student
Wendy Rees Communities First
Cormac Russell Nuture Development
Jo Sachs-Eldridge Local Transport Projects Ltd
Christian Servini Natural Resources Wales
Victoria Snook Communities First
Amy Sullivan Communities First
Lindsay Sullivan Communities First Central Support
Sara Thomas Public Health Wales
Gabi Torkington Rhondda Cynon Taff
Isabel Vander Scarlet Design Int / WWNT
Phillip Vickery The Chapel
Liam Way Rhondda Housing Association
Jim Wright TBCB
Heledd Morgan RCT CBC
Gaynor Davies RCT CBC
Gail Beynon RCT CBC
Catrin Reynolds Menter Iaith RhCT
Kerry French Portage Early Education
Debbie Pike Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC
Neil Elliott RCT Council
Liz Dean Rhondda Cynon,Taf CBC, Countryside
Samantha Evans Cymryd Rhan
Victoria Bancroft Cynefin Swansea
Keryl Lanfear Rhondda Cynon,Taf CBC
Ian Thomas Welcome to our Woods Project
COMBINED ATTENDEE LIST: 25.11.2014 AND 11 & 12.02.2015

6
FRAN O’HARA’S SKETCHNOTES

7
SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE TRAINING...
Which
learnings will
you take
from today?
“Listening to the
community. ”
“ Very inspiring examples, stories and methods”
“New way of thinking”
“ Lots, reinforced previous
learnings”
“Thinking about community needs/
wants from their perspective, rather
than just from an institutional one”
“Conviction to go after
what is not comfortable”
“Many! It’s the only training I’ve ever
been on that I didn’t start falling
asleep at 2 o’clock ”
“Need to find
connectors”
“I think this is a real opportunity to
transform culture, in organisations and
neighbourhoods”
“Promote empowerment and
continue to support freedom
of choice”
“Better understanding of the
power of community”
“Lots to think about,
will influence my work
significantly!”
“There are ways in which we
can help support communities
to develop locally”
“It will help inform future work with
communities – in and outside of work”
“Fantastic techniques and
stories to use again, to
make/keep it real”
“Standing back, allowing the
community to lead”
“Needs to be carried on
collectively”
“I just want to keep it
going in RCT”
7ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) TRAINING COURSES WITH CORMAC RUSSELL REPORT

ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) TRAINING COURSES WITH CORMAC RUSSELL REPORT8

9ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) TRAINING COURSES WITH CORMAC RUSSELL REPORT

© Copyright Nurture Development, 2014
GUIDESHEET
Nurture Development’s
ABCD Offer & Guides
What to expect from an ABCD Learning &
Development Programme with Nurture
Development
Every community and partnership will be different but
generally Nurture Development anticipate that learning and
development programmes:
a) Will be committed to using an ABCD approach to
create stronger, safer, healthier, happier and more
inclusive communities.
b) Will be committed to integrating ABCD methods and
tools into their day to day practice. To assist this
process Nurture Development have developed a
number of practical tools and guides to identify,
connect and mobilise individual, associational, and
institutional assets and resources and reveal the
hidden treasures within people.
c) To build and strengthen connections between
individuals and across associations and institutions
thereby increasing community cohesion and reducing
isolation.
d) To recruit, train and actively support local Community
Builders in the Neighbourhood Learning Sites to
ensure the longevity of an ABCD approach and the
sustainability of the change achieved.
Due to the nature of Asset Based Community Development
being an iterative process, it is difficult to pre-determine a
timetable for any given Learning & Development
Programme. We do, however, generally work across 4 core
phases of learning and development, all of which overlap
with one another. The specific phasing of the work is
determined with partners at the outset of the programme
following an initial review of the current landscape and
reviewed throughout.
Phase 1: Building & Maintaining Consensus
The early stages of the Learning & Development Programme
are focussed on developing and strengthening relationships
and building consensus amongst key partners. These early
stages form the foundations for sustainable change.
Together we will agree the most appropriate methods of
engagement, but generally, we expect these to include:
a) Individual & group meetings with key partners & local
stakeholders to map out the strategic direction of
travel for the ABCD Learning & Development
Programme. This includes supporting partners to work
out the most appropriate implementation framework
locally and how to select further Learning Sites.
b) Investing in Leadership mentoring and support by
working directly with senior leaders in local
neighbourhoods, Social Care, Housing, Faith
Communities, Business, Sport and any other
constituencies where interest emerges to support the
approach going forward.
c) Co-producing a communications strategy & core
programme materials for dissemination.
We will work together to maintain consensus throughout the
programme. We have found the following to be successful
approaches in consensus building:
i. Support the convening of a Community of Practice:
representatives from all interested parties convening
regularly to connect, reconnect, share ideas, initiate or
build on ideas, share learning and celebrate successes.
These should not be ‘just another meeting’.
ii. Hosting workshops / other events (as appropriate).
Phase 2: Learning & Development
This phase is cross-cutting in that it runs throughout the
programme. It focuses on Asset Based Community
Development & Strengths Based Theory & Practice. In line
with Phase 1 this includes rolling workshops/seminar series,
one day events, development of resource materials and
facilitated events. It is an ongoing process that is shaped by
the knowledge and experience of partners and evolves
alongside their development.

Phase 3: Learning Site Development
This module focuses on the practical development of
Learning Sites across communities and within
neighbourhoods. Nurture Development will work with
partners to:
a) Identify potential Neighbourhood Learning Sites.
b) Identify, recruit, train and support Sponsorship/
Initiating Groups.
c) Work with partners and Sponsorship Groups to
recruit Community Builders.
The recruitment and development of Community Builders
is a significant part of this Phase. To support this, Nurture
Development has used its experience to create:
d) A Community Builder Development programme that
includes Immersion Training, mentoring and multi-
media support.
Phase 4: Evaluation & Sustainability Planning
Nurture Development recommends the use of
Developmental Evaluation which supports real-time
learning in complex and emergent situations. We will work
closely with partners at the outset of the programme to
develop an Evaluation Strategy and Learning Framework
that is genuinely participatory and inclusive of citizens.
How long does an ABCD Development
Programme last?
We anticipate learning and development programmes to
operate for a minimum of 18 months.
How does Nurture Development support
these programmes?
Every learning and development programme will have a
dedicated Nurture Development ABCD Guide who will be
drawn from our unique team of muti-disciplinary team of
ABCD Guides, who each also bring specific areas of
expertise in a wide range of areas including health, social
care, housing, inclusion, timebanking. You can find
information about all of our team at
www.nurturedevelopment.org/aboutus.
What does an ABCD Guide do?
The emphasis of Nurture Development’s involvement is on
widespread capacity building, partnership development
and ensuring sustainable change. This usually means the
provision of dedicated support over a period 2-3 days
consultancy per month. Within this, ABCD Guides provide:
a) Support to Sponsorship Groups.
b) Support to Community Builders.
c) Support (with Project Manager where appropriate)
to develop asset mapping methodology and sharing
of intelligence as deemed appropriate locally.
d) Support to Community of Practice.
e) Support to embed Timebanking (if applicable).
f) Programme management support linking with the
partnership Leads.
g) Dedicated ongoing mentoring alongside ad hoc
mentoring as required (off site and onsite).
h) Support to home organisations to explore how they
can use their supportive functions, assets and
resources to support and enable community
building.
i) Informed support to guides, templates etc. as
required including development of tools if not
available.
What ABCD Guides do not do
Everything we do ensures that the learning and
development programme is locally owned, citizen-led and
sustainable. With that in mind, it is worth noting that:
a) ABCD Guides are not the Project Managers for these
programmes but support the local Project Managers
in taking them forward.
b) ABCD Guides do not do the community building
themselves but support partners to work through
the process set out (i.e. find local Sponsorship
Groups and recruit local Community Builders),
provide training and mentoring support to local
Community Builders and work with local partners to
ensure genuine community inclusion and the
transfer of authority to citizens.
c) ABCD Guides do not line manage Community
Builders. This is the role of Sponsorship Groups (see
Guidesheet: Sponsorship Groups).

An inventory of the resources we provide
In addition to this Guidesheet, we also provide:
 12 Domains of People Powered Change
 Asset Mapping
 Building Blocks of Community & Learning Conversations
 Community of Practice
 Community Builders
 Community Connectors
 Recovery & Recovery Capital (for Recovery programmes)
 Sponsorship Groups
 Stepping Stones

GUIDESHEET
12 Domains of People
History has shown that one of the consequences of modern post
industrial society has been the growth in public services and the
over-reliance on those services and on professionals within them,
to provide and produce aspects of life such as health and well
being, that people and communities are best placed to deliver.
Nurture Development believes there are at least 12 domains in
which this is true; where the ability to deliver positive outcomes is
uniquely within the competencies of people, not services or
systems. That is not to say that services should be excluded from
the domains, but that the starting point for considerations within
each should always be on people powered change, then on what is
needed from services. The 12 domains are:
1. Health and Wellbeing
Our health and wellbeing is mainly determined by the extent to
which we are positively connected to each other, our environment
and local economic opportunities.
2. Safety and Security
Increased police presence does not lead to enhanced safety and
security in the same way that a connected community can.
3. Caring for the Environment
Imagine what is possible if people become more intentional and
collective about their decisions around transport, heating and
lighting their homes and how they manage their waste.
4. Nurturing the Local Economy
Most enterprises start small and local, in garden sheds, attics and at
the kitchen table and in return they become the heart blood of
local economies and one of the most reliable sources of
employment for many communities.
5. Mindful Food Consumption & Production
Local food chains enhance outcomes in the areas of health,
environment and local economic well-being.
6. Raising Powerful Connected Children
Children need to believe in their families and community. Children
do not grow powerful in institutions; their power grows the closer
they are to the centre of family and community life.
7. Ageing Well in Place / Locale
The type of care required to age well across the life course is the
kind that sees both the gifts and needs of older people, in that
order. This kind of care is only located within communities that
have a central place for older people.
8. Building Communities
Communities grow from inside out, evolving from the place where
‘I’ live, to the community where ‘we’ grow. They can only grow
through the deepening of human relationships.
9. Civic Action for Deeper Democracy & Just
Society
Civic action for social, environmental and economic justice provides
the rudder for keeping governments honest and on track,
democracy meaningful, and people engaged in civic life.
10. Respond to Natural Disaster / Climate
Control
Nowhere is people power more apparent than in the face of natural
disasters and the consequences of climate change; as human
beings, when faced with an unprecedented extreme situation, we
dig deep, pull together (self-organise), and respond by building
community.
11. Lifelong Learning & Sharing Wisdom
Knowledge and wisdom are hatched in the nest of everyday life and
more particularly in associational life, not in educational,
commercial or professional institutions.
12. Changing the World
"Change doesn’t happen because of how we invest our money.
Change happens because of how we invest our human energy, and
it always has since we came down from the trees." Daniel Taylor –
Future Generations
We have seen moves towards people powered change in recent
years with, for example, the steady progress towards
personalisation in the health sector; with the growth of community
based TimeBanks across the UK, and; with the growth in
investment for community building programmes from government
and other funding sources such as the Big Lottery.
So things are moving in the right direction but we believe that it is
both economically and ethically the time to accelerate these
changes and not just as a part of a money saving exercise, but with
the explicit purpose of re-energising communities and the people
within them. The role of the Community Builder, with the support
of Community Connectors, is to use their gifts and the tools we
have developed to enhance, deepen and hasten the change.
Powered Change

GUIDESHEET
Coaching
Coaching and Mentoring are processes that we use to support Community Builders (CB) achieve their full
potential as they work through the Six Stepping Stones framework in their communities. This Guidesheet focuses
solely on Coaching.
What is Coaching?
There is no single definition of coaching. Following a review of coaching literature and examples of international
practice, Nurture Development has developed the following understanding of coaching:
Coaching is a positive, proactive and designed relationship that facilitates self-knowledge and learning; effects
change; helps to overcome barriers and obstacles; and sets relevant goals and supports their achievement,
enabling individuals and communities to reach their full potential.
Furthermore, for Nurture Development, coaching:
 Is not an expert – client relationship. It is an equal relationship that builds a sense of ‘travelling
together’
 Facilitates personal development and may have an impact on personal attributes such as social
interaction and confidence
 Demonstrates a ‘strength-based philosophy… that a coachee has the capacity to find their own
solutions’
 Facilitates the ‘exploration of needs, motivations, desires, skills and thought processes to assist the
individual in making real, lasting change.’ It is a learning experience ‘in which the coachee takes his or
her self-knowledge to a new level of understanding’ that enables ‘post-reflective thinking… where the
coachee is able to look back at their experience with the benefit of a clearer, more balanced view and
consider future actions with the confidence of self-knowledge and clarity of thought.’
 Bases goals and actions on ‘learning insights rather than the other way around.’
 Ensures that clients develop personal competencies and do not develop unhealthy dependencies on
the coaching relationship.
Within this relationship, the Nurture Development Coach is:
 An observer
 A sounding board
 A support in the setting and achieving of goals
 An empowerer and facilitator
 A cheerleader who maintains unconditional positive regard for the coachee, which means that the
coach is at all times supportive and non-judgemental of the coachee, their views, lifestyle and
aspirations

Skills, tools & techniques
Coaching is a skilled activity and individuals delivering it
should have, at least, basic training in coaching skills,
tools & techniques. The following is a brief overview
and reminder of the key coaching skills used by Nurture
Development.
Designing the coaching relationship
The following has been adapted from ‘Designing the
Coaching Relationship’. You should refer to this
document for a more comprehensive overview.
Coaching relationships are consciously designed so that
‘both the client and the coach to have as clear as
possible an understanding of the intentions, strengths,
boundaries and limitations of the relationship.’
There are two key areas to discuss in designing the
relationship:
 Logistics: Frequency and length of sessions;
Venue for sessions; Coaching period; Missed
sessions policy
 Relationship: Co-creating boundaries; Clarifying
expectations; Asking Permission; Articulating non
-negotiables; Creating commitments; Designing
referring agreements; Coaching style; Co-create
safety, trust and a daring space; and anything
else that is relevant for the client and coach
Relationships are fluid and will adapt over time as trust
between the coach and the coachee develops, which is
why it is important to revisit the relationship
agreements regularly (even at the beginning of each
session) to amend them if necessary.
Coaching Skills
Listening: In coaching, there are 3 levels of listening.
The following has been adapted from ‘Co-Active
Coaching Skills: Listening’ . You should refer to this
document for a more comprehensive overview.
 Level 1: Internal Listening
When a person listens at Level 1, they are
actually listening to the sound of their own inner
voice and while they may hear the words of the
other person, they are primarily aware of their
own opinions, stories, judgments — their own
feelings, needs, and itches.
Level 1 listening is the common level in everyday
life and can be important in some situations. For
example, it is essential that clients in the
coaching relationship be at Level 1 as the
coaching attention is fully on them: their lives,
what they want, where they are and where
they’re headed).
Coaches should use their self-management skills
to avoid listening at this level. They should agree
with the coachee, when designing the coaching
relationship, how they would like the coach to
flag Level 1 listening should it occur. Sometimes
all it takes is asking a provocative, curious
question.
 Level 2: Focused Listening
At Level 2 there is a hard focus from coach to
client that cannot be shifted by external factors.
At Level 2, the coach listens intently to every
word and ‘listens’ for every nuance in the
conversation.
In order for coaching to be as effective as
possible, coaches need to be able to coach at
Level 2.
 Level 3: Global Listening
This is the soft focus listening that takes in
everything. At Level 3 you are aware of the
energy between you and others. You are also
aware of how that energy is changing; you detect
sadness, lightness, shifts in attitude. You are
aware of the environment and whatever is going
on in the environment. There is a way you are
conscious of underlying mood, or tone, or the
impact of the conversation — where it is taking
you and the person you are talking to.
This is also the level at which your intuition will
be most available to you as well as metaphor and

imagery. Coaches learn to listen with this soft
focus, Level 3 in order to pick up as much
information as possible about the underlying
impact in the moment.
Asking powerful questions: This skill is about making
provocative queries that put a halt to evasion and
confusion. By asking the powerful question, the coach
invites the coachee to clarity, action, and discovery at a
whole new level.
Articulating what’s going on: This skill involves telling
the coachee what you see is going on, whether it is
actual or perceived / unconscious.
Bottom lining: This skill involves getting the coachee
to get to the essence of his or her communication
rather than engaging in long descriptive stories.
Challenging: This skill involves inviting coachees to
stretch beyond their self-imposed limits and shake up
the way they see themselves.
Visualisation: This skill involves inviting the coachee
to imagine and visualise the outcome they desire, their
goal or a dream. This can be powerful and can have a
significant impact on the coachee and their behaviour
so coaches should use their judgement (based on Level
3 Listening) about using this skill.
Curiosity: Coaches should always be genuine in their
interest and questioning. Asking open ended questions
that are genuinely curious – not an interrogation – will
reveal new and unknown information.
Intrude: Intruding involves re-directing the
conversation back to the main issue, in case the
coachee starts veering away. They coach should use
Level 3 listening to know if and when this is
appropriate as the coachee may feel uncomfortable
about discussing a particular issue.
Action and Accountability: By the end of each
coaching session, the coach should invite the coachee
to set themselves an action or actions to complete,
establishing what they will do, by when and agreeing
how they will both know when it has been done. When
revisiting these action(s), it is not the role of the coach
to hold the coachee to account, even where the action
has not been completed. There is an opportunity to
reveal information and more self-knowledge whether
the action has been completed or not.
References
Armstrong, H. (2012) Coaching as dialogue: Creating spaces for (mis)understandings in the International Journal
of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring
Askew, S. & Carnell, E. (2011) Transformative Coaching: A Learning Theory for Practice. London: Institute of
Education
Cox, E. (2012) Coaching Understood: A pragmatic inquiry into the coaching process. London: Sage
Forbes, E. (2014) Travelling Together: What does Coaching Offer Creative Writers? In the International Journal of
Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring
The Coaching and Mentoring Network: www.coachingnetwork.org.uk
The Recovery Coaching Foundation Designing the coaching relationship.
www.recoverycoachingfoundation.co.uk
The Coaches Training Institute (2012) Co-Active Coaching Skills: Listening
What are coaching and mentoring: www.cipd.co.uk

GUIDESHEET
Asset Mapping
What is Asset Mapping?
Every community has a tremendous supply of assets and resources
that can be used to build community and solve problems. Asset
mapping is the process that helps to discover and connect these
assets.
Asset mapping involves generating a map or inventory of the
resources, skills and talents of individuals, associations and
organisations. The process is not just about data collection – it is
about connecting people to others on the basis of their assets, it is
about self-realisation, empowerment and leadership development.
It is therefore vital that residents and their associations do the asset
mapping themselves so that they i) build new relationships, ii) learn
more about the contributions and talents of community members,
and iii) identify potential linkages between different assets.
Connectors are central to the asset mapping process and play a key
role in identifying the talents and interests of local residents and the
potential resources available through local associations. The asset
mapping process should seek to map the following:
1. Individual Assets – gifts, skills and capacities
2. Groups and Associations – formal and informal groups
and networks
3. Assets of Local Institutions
4. Physical resources – e.g. meeting places, unused land
and green spaces and economic exchange
5. Economic resources
Through one to one Learning Conversations (see Guidesheet:
Building Blocks of Community), Connectors engage with and talk to
their neighbours with the express purposes of finding out:
 What people care about enough to do something about
 What gifts and talents they would like to contribute to the
community
 What would need to happen for them to join like-minded
locals in the community building effort.

Step One: information gathering
While on walkabout and in conversation with others (this
could be Community Connectors or local residents) consider
the following questions about the different streets in your
neighbourhood:
1. What needs community attention - distinct from
systems attention?
2. What obvious assets do we have that we can use to
attend to the things that need our community’s
attention?
3. What hidden assets (treasures) do we have that, if we
found and connected, would help?
Step Two: mapping
Bring everyone together at a central location so that the
information gathered can be shared and mapped.
 Decide how you would like to plot the information. A
good place to start is with a large sheet of paper and
draw on the main road(s) in the area and a few key
landmarks across the neighbourhood that will help to
orient people
 Use different colour dots (or markers) to plot the
‘Bumping Spaces’ - the places where people come
together naturally or as part of a group. Make sure
you get the obvious but also less obvious e.g. in
Cheltenham off the Bath Road, there is a Militaria
shop (sells old military stuff). Every Friday morning at
10am the owner, Steve, runs a coffee morning for the
‘old boys’ who live locally, and they reminisce about
the old days.
 Now plot local associations, where three or more
people - mostly unpaid - gather together to do stuff
they care about, from chatting to changing the world.
It’s useful to use a different colour to map the
associations around the bumping spaces e.g. Pub
might have a darts groups and poker night, etc.)
 Once you’ve plotted all the associations you know
about or can find, think about who might be
Community Connectors in and across these groups
and thinking through how you might be able to
involve them. Agree who will have a Learning
Conversation with each of the groups over the
coming weeks and invite them to be part of the
community building programme.
 Finally, you should think about neighbours and other
local residents who are not connected to existing
associations and to begin to have a conversation with
each of these, perhaps a few (5 a week), asking three
questions:
1. What do you really care about enough to do
something about it? Or what’s your ‘thing’?
2. What would someone who knows you really
well say you are good at? Could you use these
in any way to do something about 1 above?
3. Would you be will to meet with other people
who share you passion if I organised it?
Asset Maps are live at all times: they should not be seen as
a final destination that is completed once. Community
Builders should meet regularly with the Community
Connectors they support to ’download’ the information
being gathered and adapt the map(s) accordingly.
Over time you will get to a point where the energy,
motivation and connections between people can be brought
together in an Ideas Fair - see Guidesheet: Stepping Stones.
Asset Based Community Mapping Walk
This exercise will help you to start building an Asset Map with detailed information about the streets and the people in
your neighbourhood. This is not a desk-based exercise, you should be out in your neighbourhood making discoveries
through conversation and observation. It is a good exercise for Community Builders to complete in the early stages of a
community building programme with interested local residents as it will start to reveal local Community Connectors.

Introduction
This inventory can be gathered by Connectors holding
Learning Conversations with neighbours at various
gathering places in the community. The conversation may
go as follows:
“My name is______________. What is your name?
Thank you for coming over. Did someone talk to you about
what the ‘gift exchange’ is all about? What do you
understand it to be?
We believe that everyone has natural talents and gifts that
can be used to benefit the community. I’d like to spend a
few minutes talking to you about your gifts and skills.”
Gifts
Gifts are abilities that we are born with. We may develop
them, but no one has to teach them to us.
1. What positive qualities do people say you
have?
2. Who are the people in your life that you give
to? How did you give it to them?
3. When was the last time you shared with
someone else? What was it?
4. What do you give that makes you feel good?
Skills
Sometimes we have talents that we’ve acquired in everyday
life such as cooking and fixing things.
1. What do you enjoy doing?
2. If you could start a business, what would it be?
3. What do you like to do that people would pay
you to do?
4. Have you ever made anything? Have you ever
fixed anything?
Dreams
Before you go, I want to take a minute and hear about your
dreams – those goals you hope to accomplish.
1. What are your dreams?
2. If you could snap your fingers and be doing
anything, what would it be?
Individual Capacity Inventory
Through one to one Learning Conversations, Connectors engage with and talk to their neighbours with the express purposes of
finding out, i) what people care about enough to do something about, ii) what gifts and talents they would like to contribute to the
community, and iii) what would need to happen for them to join like-minded locals in the community building effort.
Eventually a ‘capacity inventory’ can be developed, listing these capacities in categories such as ‘community-building skills’,
‘enterprise skills’, ‘teaching skills’, and ‘artistic skills’. The following should help in developing an inventory for your programme.
Hand, Head and Heart Exercise
Pair up with a person you don’t know very well. Take a
few minutes to think about your assets and then take
about five minutes each to share these assets with the
other person in three realms of knowing:
1. Gifts of the Hand
Physical skills you possess that you would be willing to
teach others. i.e., carpentry, photography, painting,
bicycle repair.
2. Gifts of the Head
Knowledge that you have in a particular area like child
development, health care, history of the neighbourhood.
3. Gifts of the Heart
What are your passions; what stirs you to action; what
would you walk across hot coals for?

GUIDESHEET
Community
Builders
What is an ABCD Community Builder?
An ABCD Community Builder is someone who is focused on
engaging the skills, knowledge and talents of every
community member, as well as the institutional,
associational, physical, economic and cultural resources that
are part of every community to a greater or lesser extent.
They are very comfortable both encouraging and gently (and
sometimes firmly) challenging community leaders and
professionals to keep reaching out to bring in the assets and
energies of people, and resources who/that are often left
out. The core qualities of an ABCD Community Builder are
outlined below.
The ABCD Community Builder’s main concern is how to
empower a wider, equal partnership between residents and
the clubs, groups and social networks of their community
and the institutions that serve them. They are community
weavers, intent on weaving the community together
relationship by relationship, strength by strength.
They understand that most communities are places
overflowing with strengths, and that their job is to issue an
invitation to citizens to enter into conversations that matter,
with each other. These conversations matter because they
deepen relationships and lead to actionable change; they
focus on what is ‘strong’ not what is ‘wrong’.
What do ABCD Community Builders actually do?
An ABCD Community Builder spends most of their time out
in their community, NOT sat at a desk – usually an 80/20
split. They spend their time getting to know every aspect of
their community and the people in it:
 Building strong relationships across the community
that are independent of agendas other than one that
supports community building
 Identifying and recruiting Community Connectors (see
FACTSHEET: Community Connectors)
 Creating spaces where interested community
members can come together to share their gifts, ideas
and build their own relationships
 Convene community members (including local
associations and institutions) who are interested in
making change happen, and supporting them to do so.
How do you find them / recruit Community
Builders?
Recruiting the right person for the job is one of the most
important parts of any community building programme.
Nurture Development has created a Community Builder
Recruitment Pack that can be tailored to each community
and to the particular requirements of partner organisations.
Recruitment is usually carried out by the Sponsorship Group
(see FACTSHEET: Sponsorship Groups).
Are Community Builders paid?
In most circumstances, yes.
What are the tools that every Community Builder
needs?
1. Asset mapping
2. Connection
3. Learning conversations
4. Appreciative inquiry
5. Story telling
What support does a Community Builder need?
Community Builders will receive mentoring, training and
coaching from the Nurture Development Project Guides (as
required). In addition, they should be supported on a day to
day basis by their Sponsorship Group around:
 HR requirements in line with Sponsorship Group policy
 Line management and/or supervision
 In line with safe working practices, a dependable point
of contact within the Sponsorship Group during the
hours they are working in the community
 The opportunity to gain peer support from other
Community Builders in their area or at another
Nurture Development Learning Site

Relationship builder: they are natural easy going
connectors. Before an interview for a job as a Community
Builder, the person you’ll want to rate highly will be the one
who will remember the person at reception, and may even
know them by name. More than likely the receptionists will
remember them also.
Peace builder: they are not invested in a conflict or
control model of change, they believe in building change
from inside out, and see power not as a finite resource but
an infinite resource that grows the more people you bring
into relationships to build community.
Not the classic leader: they are excellent motivators,
they understand how to motivate people to act on their
own terms, and from their own personal agency. They are
not controlling or domineering. Theirs is a quiet confidence.
Teacher: they are comfortable teaching practical
community building skills, have a good presentation style,
and have a convincing public voice, without being loud or
brash. Theirs is a quiet confidence, but they are always
ready to give up their place to a citizen voice since they
know the citizen voice matters most. They will never attend
a meeting or speak on behalf of the community; they always
attend meetings and events with citizens and promote
citizen voice.
Critical thinker: they are not mindlessly positive, they
understand that life is not always fair and that people are
not always as they seem and they factor that in to how they
support people to work to their respective strengths. That
said they will never stop encouraging people to seek out the
assets and resources in communities.
Focused self-starters: they always hold themselves to
account, and accountable to the community. They are
organised and systematic in their approach to work, but this
is balanced with huge creativity and flexibility.
Collaborative yet discerning: they do not try to
impose collaboration on those who are not ready.
Challenging and supportive: they are powerful
communicators who value listening above all else, and see
themselves as the bringers of ‘questions’ not ‘answers’.
Empowering: they actively work to build agency and
understand deeply how dependency builds up, they will
never do for another, what that person can do for
themselves.
Reflective: they are deep learners, constantly reflecting
on their own practice and will therefore need a learning
circle of thoughtful residents and fellow community builders
through which they can unpack their learning and seek on-
going feedback and support.
Results: they care about results but are not obsessive
about targets, instead they are faithful to the principles of
Community Building and so keep a watchful eye to ensure
that greater numbers of citizens are participating and
creating in civic space. They are also watchful of the
numbers of labelled people who are contributing their gifts,
if those numbers are not increasing they will want to
understand why and figure out with their initiating group of
residents how to improve on those results.
Core qualities of a Community Builder

GUIDESHEET
Community
Connectors
What is a Community Connector?
Community Connectors are ‘people specialists’. They know
and keep in touch with many people and are able to create
and maintain long- lasting friendships. Being a Connector
comes naturally to them; it is not something that can be
taught. Connectors, in marketing terms, are trendsetters.
Community Connectors are natural networkers, relationship
builders, positive, optimistic, caring and compassionate local
people. Any attempts to turn them into ‘professionals’ should
be resisted. Their priceless contribution is connecting people,
associations and institutions more widely to the community
and in weaving the community together.
According McKnight and Block, Community Connectors are:
 Always looking for other people’s ‘gifts’
 See the positive, the ‘half full’, in everyone
 Well-connected themselves
 Trusted by others
 Know how to create new trusting relationships
 Believe in the people in their community
 Get joy from connecting and inviting people to come
together
How do you find them / recruit them?
Community Connectors are fairly easy to find. Their names
will crop up regularly in Learning Conversations (see
FACTSHEET: The Building Blocks of Community) and they
will usually be present at community events and activities.
You probably won’t find them at formal meetings as they
tend to shy away from these in favour of fun gatherings.
A good starting point for Community Builders in finding
Community Connectors is to think about their own networks;
who are the people that bring you together with others and
whose energy, imagination and kindness provides the
bedrock of your connection? These people are ‘connectors’.
You might find that some people are
uncomfortable to be formally acknowledged
as Community Connectors. This will be
especially true amongst ‘natural connectors’
who might have busy lives and a range of
commitments. Try to avoid being too rigid in
how Community Connectors can be involved
in your community building programme –
you don’t want to start excluding people.
TOP TIPS
Many community building efforts struggle or
fail because time is not given to finding
Connectors and building and nurturing
relationships with them. Community Builders
must acknowledge that they alone cannot
build a community and that it is not within
their capabilities to know as much as a vibrant
group of Community Connectors.
You will often find that Connectors know other
Connectors. Community Builders should
create a space for Connectors to come
together to understand the community
building programme they are being asked to
support and to discover how they might be
willing to work with each other to reach out to
the wider community, particularly those on the
margins.

Are Community Connectors paid?
In most circumstances, no.
What are the tools that every Community
Connector needs?
People are identified as Community Connectors because
they already possess the tools they need to fulfil the role. It
is a natural part of who they are. Generally these include:
 The ability to build trusting relationships
 The ability to hold vast amounts of information about
people and places
 The ability to share this information where
appropriate and connect people to their community
Within a community building programme it is important for
Community Builders to work with their local Community
Connectors to:
 Understand how to hold a more directed Learning
Conversation
 Design together a tool to capture information in a
way that can be shared easily and appropriately
between the Community Connector and Builder, and
potentially more widely
How many Community Connectors does a
neighbourhood need?
This will vary from one community to another but we can
guarantee, there will be more than you imagine. Ideally,
every street, association and institution will have and be
aware of a Community Connector. And they will know of
one another.
What support does a Community Connector need?
Community Connectors are supported by Community
Builders. They should:
 Have regular meetings with their Community Builder
 Be able to contact their Community Builder by
telephone / email during the day (or as appropriate to
your programme)
 Be given the opportunity to give and receive peer
support from other Community Connectors in their
area.
Well connected: they know a larger number of people than the average person
Gift centred: they always see the ‘full half’ in everyone: the passion, skills, talents, & knowledge
Trusted: they are widely trusted and have a wealth of trusting relationships
Conveners of people: they get an enormous amount of joy from connecting people and bringing them
together. They are not interested in leading; they simply know the power of joining people together
Information holders: they are naturally able to hold a lot of information about a person, their gifts and the
people they know, and bring it to the fore when needed
Tour guides: they know their neighbourhood and / or community like the back of their hand. They know the
streets, the people and the groups and associations.
Core qualities of a Community Connector

GUIDESHEET
Community of
Practice
What is a Community of Practice (CoP)?
It is a learning forum where a group of peers willingly
come together to develop expertise in a chosen area of
practice that will support work on strategic areas.
How does this happen?
This happens through:
 Sharing experiences (credible information, insights,
successes, challenges)
 Building a specific knowledge base
 Developing and implementing new ideas and
approaches
 Finding creative solutions
 Evaluating outcomes.
What are the Benefits of establishing a
‘Community of Practice’ for members,
associated agencies and projects?
 Contributes to better and more informed decisions
and outcomes
 Provides an opportunity for experimenting with
new ideas and approaches
 Facilitates information sharing, particularly where
the body of knowledge is still developing and not
easily accessed
 Increasing access to expertise across the
geographical area
 Helping all those involved in your chosen field to do
their jobs more effectively by improving
understanding of better practice and innovation in
their field
 Identifying and promoting best practice which can
be re-used by practitioners in similar work roles
 Improving problem solving capabilities in your
chosen field, across your geographical area
 Improving skills and competencies of individual
members
 Increasing opportunities to pro-actively raise issues
with relevant forums
 Encouraging strategic alignment with all those
involved in your chosen field and other relevant
professionals.
Types of Communities of Practice
Problem solving communities
Communities that bring together expertise from a variety
of sources to focus on solving a common problem.
Knowledge sharing communities
Communities that build a specific knowledge base in key
areas to develop shared information processes and
focuses on filling knowledge gaps. This involves acquiring
new knowledge and collating, organising and distributing
existing knowledge that their members use every day.
Better Practice communities
Communities that focus on developing, testing and
disseminating specific practices. A structured vetting
process is created through sharing documented practices.
Innovation communities
Communities that are based around technical or
professional peer groups, identifying new and emerging
areas of knowledge where there may be the opportunity
to gain an edge and provides the basis for rapid
dissemination of new ideas or products.
How to create a Community of Practice
At the heart of developing a CoP is the ‘action learning’
method. This involves creating an ongoing ‘learning circle’,
which cultivates innovation and creativity, as participants
actively build a trusting CoP and support where each can
share insights, success, confusion and challenges.

Establishing a Community of Practice
The Learning Circle Approach
 Build common intent among group participants. Stop
and listen to others and what life calls us to do as a
group around your chosen field.
 Observe, Observe, Observe. See deeply, sharply and
collectively.
 Reflect on learning and action. Let go of old ideas and
be open to new possibilities.
 Putting new ideas into action. Be living examples of
innovation.
 Evaluate; What has worked?, What has not worked?
What have we learnt? And what has made a
difference?
How do we learn together?
Regular meetings
 To share learning and insights
 To propose new action approaches
 To reflect on experiences
Training and Learning Events
 Asset mapping
 Using Circles of Support
 Community Development
 Innovative Practices across your chosen field
 Social Inclusion
Learning Journeys
 Visiting innovative projects in your chosen field
 Participating in learning events
 Visiting innovative projects in other sectors
Experimenting with New Ideas
 Create living examples of doing something that works
 Adopt the ‘strength based’ approach to your chosen
field
 Ready, Fire, Aim: Learn by Doing
Individual Consultation
 Set up one to one meetings with other relevant
organisations to develop supportive relationships to
progress more strength based approaches across your
chosen field.
Diagram 1: The phases
involved in setting up a
Community of Practice

The follow checklist is provided to assist in establish and
manage agency relationships with a Community of Practice
over the course of its lifecycle.
STARTING PHASE
Choosing an area of Practice
 Identify a topic that is in line with the priorities of the
participating agencies, and broader policy directions
 Is there is a pre-existing community of practice or
forum in the chosen topic?
 Is the topic the domain of another agency?
 Is there facilitation support available especially to
assist in the early stages of the group?
 Is a ‘community of practice’ the appropriate
response or should other responses be considered
e.g. Workshop, Seminar, Consultative Group, or
Policy Forum?
Identify appropriate Membership
Members can be drawn from across a wide range of
agencies/projects and tiers of government.
 Explain the scope of a CoP prior to inviting members
to join so prospective members can self-select on the
basis of its relevance to them
 Determine the level of demand and need for
knowledge and capacity building in the particular
topic area by potential members
 The willingness and capacity of potential members to
contribute to supporting the group
 The level of knowledge and expertise of members in
relation to the topic, and their willingness to share
this with each other
 Conduct an email survey to determine level of
agency support.
Operational Principles of the CoP
 Once membership has been established the group
must jointly identify goals, terms of reference and
operating principles
 If available present survey results at the first meeting
for discussion and agreement
 Publish agreed goals, terms of reference, and
operating principles where everyone can access
them and review them periodically in consultation
with members
 Operating principles can also help members clarify
their expectations of each other.
The rules can be practical and aspirational, for example:
1. at least one new learning from each meeting;
2. privacy and confidentiality is maintained within the
community;
3. views expressed are those of individual practitioner
members; and
4. after each meeting a summary of the discussion is
circulated to members.
EVOLVING PHASE
Cross-Agency Facilitation
Forming a voluntary cross-agency facilitation group can be
a useful means of encouraging cross-agency ownership,
sharing costs and the facilitation of the community of
practice and getting assistance with planning and
implementing a forward programme.
In the initial phase the following points may need to be
considered:
 Regular meetings of the facilitation group may be
held to plan the forward program and identify how
facilitation can be shared
 A facilitation group can help identify expertise,
resources and references, presenters, site visits,
venues and topics for the broader community, as
well as facilitate meetings
 Consider establishing an email discussion list or
online forum to help communication flow and
facilitate relationships across the facilitation group.
Engagement and Facilitation
A CoP will require initial support and facilitation and in the
short term which is usually taken on by the person(s)
convening the group. Over time it is expected that this role
will be taken on by, or shared with, another agency/
project. However, ideally the CoP should be largely self-
supporting. The tips listed below may help to encourage a
CoP to become self-supporting.
 In addition to the cross agency facilitation group all
members can be encouraged to take an active

facilitation role at meetings and other activities, and
to share information and expertise and capture
knowledge.
 Meetings and information sharing can draw from
wherever the expertise lies, including within the
group, from non-members and/or the private sector,
and share this information as appropriate.
Online Operational Support
During the establishment and maturity phase the lead
agency can facilitate a CoP by providing online operational
support through the following activities.
 An email discussion group may be set up to
encourage member’s engagement and share
expertise and information.
 A web page/Ning/online forum may be a useful tool,
and can include public and private domains to
encourage information and expertise sharing. For
example an index of members identifying their areas
of knowledge and experience could be included.
MATURING PHASE
Maintenance
When a CoP has matured it ideally becomes largely self-
supporting and the lead agency’s facilitation role
diminishes. Lead agency staff might consider undertaking
the following activities to help ensure that the CoP is
continuing to function well and work towards its goals.
 Maintaining a watching brief regarding participation
of members in email discussion and the web page
 Updating the web page and email discussion list
 Sharing costs with member agencies
 Stimulating meeting attendance and email discussion
 Monitoring participation by the facilitation group
 Attending meetings
 Feeding the CoP useful reference material and
information
 Sharing information on visiting experts and other
relevant events
Evaluation and measurement
Seeking regular feedback from members and periodically
evaluating outcomes can be a useful means of measuring
the ‘health’ and relevance of the CoP. Emerging issues can
also be identified through these processes.
The following points could be included in the evaluation:
 the level of participation in email discussion,
presentations and meetings
 the range of agencies involved
 the attendance at meetings
 the involvement of agencies in a facilitation group
 outputs achieved, such as better practice checklists
and toolkits
 evaluation of the uptake and usage of these
checklists and toolkits
 member satisfaction.
CLOSING PHASE
Closing a CoP
A CoP may be closed in any of the following circumstances:
 the group is no longer active
 it has achieved its principal purpose
 it has been assessed by the lead agency as no longer
serving its original purpose, is no longer considered
to be an organisational priority, or has drifted from its
agreed mission, and/or
 it has failed to become self-supporting.
Suitable processes for closing a CoP may need to be taken
into account. Issues to consider include:
 Consulting members regarding closing the CoP
 Recognising the group’s achievements
 Acknowledging member’s contributions
 Notifying members that the CoP is closed, via email
and at meetings as appropriate.
At the end of the lifecycle, the lead agency can explore the
possibility of working with the facilitation group and
community members to make reasonable efforts to
catalogue the knowledge gained, lessons learned and
practical tools, which are likely to be of future benefit to all
practitioners across the field or geographical area.

GUIDESHEET
Nurture Development
Mentoring Alliances
What are the aims of Mentoring Alliances?
1. To develop our capabilities and potential as ‘Community
Builders’
2. To initiate feelings of closeness and community*
*A community is a place where people come together to support
and challenge each other and to develop themselves at the same
time
About our approach
The Mentor assists the Mentee(s) to improve performance,
increase awareness, identify options and initiate action.
Mentees are responsible for making their own decisions and
choices.
Advantages of Mentoring
Traditional mentoring schemes tend to re-enforce the status quo.
With the very best of intentions people say one thing and do
another, often out of awareness.
By putting aside our own assumptions and really listening to each
other we transcend individual differences.
The Four Stages of forming a Mentoring
Alliance:
1. Preparation
2. Relationship
3. Agreement
4. Telling our story
If you would like to find out more read “Transformational
Mentoring” by Julie Hay McGraw Hill. 1995).
1. Preparation
Before the first meeting please jot down your responses to the
questions in the following Check List.
(After going through the lists at our first meeting a combined
version will be used to evaluate the Mentoring Alliance).
CHECK LIST
a) Why have I become a mentor / mentee?
b) What do I offer / what do I want?
c) What mentoring skills do I have / want my mentor to
have?
d) How much time will we have?
e) Where will we meet?
f) What mutual contacts are we likely to have? How might
that affect us?
g) Who else is involved in this process (e.g. managers,
residents etc.)?
h) What experience have I had of Asset Based Community
Development?
i) What do I want to see happen in my organisation / the
community?
j) What do I not want to see happen in my organisation / the
community?
k) What help would I like from others in my organisation /
the community?
2. Relationships
The Mentor - Mentee relationship begins by sharing what each
hopes will be achieved through the Mentoring Alliance and
discussing individual responses to the Check List.
It continues by working through the following aspects of the
mentoring relationship together over time:
 What opinions do we share?
 What do we have in common?
 How will we share control, (mentee over content, mentor
over process)?
 Do we feel able to be spontaneous?
 How will we challenge each other?
 How will we handle conflict?

 How flexible can we be?
 How do we increase our abilities to problem solve and get
decisions made?
 How do we reinforce our genuine connection with each
other?
3. Agreement
We need to be clear about what is likely to happen, what our
respective roles and responsibilities are and how we expect each
other to behave.
Two formats
1) An ‘Agreement’ about the longer term Mentoring Alliance so
we are all clear about:
 the purpose of our time together
 the mentee(s) determine the direction of the mentoring
 administrative aspects
 reinforcing mutual responsibility
 establishing boundaries
 what we are going to be doing
2) Specific arrangements for each session
 How long have we got today?
 What specific aspects are we going to work on?
 What do mentee(s) want to achieve by end of session?
 Does that seem feasible to the mentor?
 How open and effective is our relationship?
 Do we need to deal with any issues?
 When is our next meeting?
4. Telling Our Story
Reviewing the situation, describing current circumstances,
looking at how we got here and where we might consider going
in the future.
Objective setting
Measureable: so that the end result is clear; so that the
mentee gets the satisfaction of knowing they have achieved their
objective
Manageable: so that the mentee can, in fact, achieve the
objective. Not trying to do too much; picking actions they control
themselves, not changes they wish others would make
Motivational: so that they really want to achieve the
objective; so that the changes they make will have positive
benefits on their future.
Iron Rule: “Never, never do for others what they can do for
themselves”.
Notes:
A Developmental Alliance, (Transformational Mentoring), has a
long term, broad focus, is person-led, (with the organisation's
needs being considered but not central) and is based on the
belief that the Mentee knows best.
The Mentor in an alliance is there to help the Mentee identify
opportunities for growth and development. To do this, Mentors
need to create a bond, more than just a rapport.
Coaching is usually short term, with a specific focus, such as a set
of tasks about which the coach has expert knowledge. The coach
aims to help the 'pupil' develop the skills that the organisation
requires. Coach and 'pupil' need to establish a rapport to do this,
but it will not be too serious if their relationship goes no deeper.
Traditional Mentoring has a long term, broad focus. The mentor
is assumed to know best, having the greater knowledge and
experience. Mentors are also expected to take account of the
needs of the organisation. They are in the business of providing
opportunities so that the Mentee can develop into a more useful
employee. They need to relate well to the Mentee, who will use
them as a role model of how to succeed within the culture of the
organisation.
People may confuse some of this with 'counselling in the
workplace' which tends to be a relatively short term approach
with a specific focal point - rather than teaching a task, the
counsellor sets out to help the client to solve problems that the
client has already identified. The requirements of the
organisation are usually suspended. More than rapport is needed
for this. The good counsellor is empathic.

GUIDESHEET
Recovery & Recovery
What do you mean by ‘Recovery’?
Recovery is a well-established term within the drug and alcohol
field but there remains a level of divergence about what exactly it
entails and how it is measured. The debate about the definition
touches on some of the most controversial issues within the
addictions field e.g. harm reduction & abstinence. Some of the
most commonly used definitions are set out to the right.
Despite the lack of an agreed upon definition there seems to be
some agreement about the core components:
 that it is a process and not necessarily an end state – this is a
personalised process
 well-being and quality of life – it is a lived experience rather
than something diagnosed
 hope and aspiration
 some measure of community engagement or citizenship
 some measure of sobriety
Whether that measure of sobriety relates directly to abstinence,
reduced use or medically supported recovery is something that we
believe should be defined by the individual and should be flexible
to changes in individual circumstances.
What is ‘Recovery Capital’?
If we understand recovery in these terms then we can understand
Recovery Capital as the sum of resources that may facilitate the
process of Recovery.
There is also some variation in the various domains of recovery
capital. We tend to talk about 3 distinct domains:
1. Personal Recovery Capital (which includes physical and
human)
2. Social Recovery Capital
3. Community Recovery Capital (which includes cultural).
Capital
‘Recovery is the experience (a process
and a sustained status) through which
individuals, families, and communities
impacted by severe alcohol and other
drug (AOD) problems utilize internal and
external resources to voluntarily resolve
these problems, heal the wounds inflicted
by AOD-related problems, actively
manage their continued vulnerability to
such problems, and develop a healthy,
productive, and meaningful life.’
William White (2007)
‘The process of recovery from
problematic substance use is
characterised by voluntarily sustained
control over substance use which
maximises health and well-being and
participation in the rights, roles and
responsibilities of society’
UKDPC Consensus Group (2008)
‘Recovery from substance dependence is
a voluntarily maintained lifestyle
characterised by sobriety, personal
health, and citizenship.’
Betty Ford Institute Consensus Panel
(2007)

GUIDESHEET
Recovery & Recovery
Personal Recovery Capital
Personal recovery capital can be
defined as the internal resources
that someone may or may not
possess such as skills, positive
health, aspirations, values and
hopes, education and
intelligence. This is sometimes
referred to as human recovery
capital.
It may also include external
resources that someone
possesses such as tangible
assets of property and money.
This is sometimes referred to as
physical recovery capital.
Social Recovery Capital
Social recovery capital is the
resources that someone has as a
result of their relationships and
includes both support from and
obligations to groups to which
they belong – for example
families may provide support
but this will often require
commitments and obligations to
other family members.
Community Recovery
Capital
Community recovery capital refers to the resources and assets that someone may or may not have access to in
their physical environment such as employment opportunities, community resources like good transport links or
training and leisure facilities.
It will also include ‘cultural recovery capital’ such as values, beliefs and attitudes that link to social conformity
and the ability to fit into dominant social behaviours.
Capital

GUIDESHEET
Sponsorship
Groups
What is a Sponsorship Group?
A Sponsorship Group is an important part of any community
building programme, providing a public facing entity that
supports and champions the developments across a community.
Each group typically includes:
 ‘Conductors’: local people who support an asset based
community development programme and are in a position
to positively champion the approach across the
community e.g. local GPs
 The Community Builder(s) once recruited
 The Community Connector(s) once identified
Significantly, Sponsorship Groups ensure that the community
building developments hold true to the principles of ABCD; that
they are:
 place based in focus
 emphasise the power of relationships over the
power of money and position
 committed to social justice
 asset based
 promote citizen / community led action
What does a Sponsorship Group actually do?
Sponsorship Groups are established at the beginning of any
community building programme. They are convened by the
contract holder and are an important pre-condition to the
commencement of the Six Stepping Stones process. Sponsorship
Groups:
1. Develop and carry out an appropriate process for
recruiting Community Builders (with support from the
Nurture Development Project Guide)
2. Provide non-financial support to the asset based
community building programme and the people doing it
3. Ensure accountability to the community throughout the
programme and beyond
4. Champion the asset based approach to community
building, managing the inevitable conflict and resistance
that arises from any transformational agenda
5. Develop a legacy plan to make sure the work and
outcomes from the ABCD community building programme
proliferate and are sustained once contract period ends
How often do Sponsorship Groups meet?
Sponsorship Groups meet monthly. Each meeting is chaired /
facilitated by a member of the group on a rotating basis.
What support do Sponsorship Groups need?
Sponsorship Groups are supported by the Nurture Development
Project Guide and receive mentoring, training and coaching every
other month (or as required).

Walkabout
Find local Community
Connectors
GUIDESHEET
Six Stepping Stones
Nurture Development designed the Six Stepping Stones as a process to support
community building programmes. It offers a robust framework for community
building that can be tailored to any community.
Community Builders and Community Connectors are key to the Six Stepping Stones
process. They are the people in the community, holding the Learning Conversations,
building relationships and developing a picture of the community as a whole. As
such, the process cannot and should not begin without the establishment of a
Sponsorship Group and the recruitment of one or more Community Builders.
It is important not to rush through the steps:
 While there is no set timeline for each step or the process as a whole,
our experience has shown that it takes at least 18-24 months to work
through all the components
 Each step may take a different amount of time to complete; one step
might take 3 times as long as the next one
 It might help to plan each step as a programme in itself acknowledging
that each step may include multiple activities and events
 Try not to plan every detail of all the steps at once. Each step will
reveal new things about your community, the people within it and the
gifts and assets that they are willing to contribute to the community
building efforts
 You may need to revisit some steps time and time again
 You may not need to complete all of the steps
 The process can (and should) be repeated regularly to make sure that
the community remains as open and inclusive as possible towards all
of its members
Given the nuances of the Six Stepping Stones process, the Nurture Development
Project Guide will provide mentoring, training and coaching to Community Builders
throughout.
Sponsorship Groups are also supported by Nurture Development Project Guides to
develop a long term and sustainable plan to make sure that all of the great work
established through Asset Based Community Development is maintained beyond the
scope of the commissioned programme.
Related FACTSHEETS:
 FACTSHEET: The building blocks of community
 FACTSHEET: Community Builders
 FACTSHEET: Community Connectors
 FACTSHEET: Sponsorship Groups
Asset Mapping
Identify local skills,
talents, groups & orgs
Find & connect
passions
Connectors find out
what local people care
enough about to act on
From passion to
action
Hold an ideas fair to
agree what can be done
to make the community
better
Match Funds
Funds & other external
resources can oil the
cogs of activity already
started
Celebrate
The shared vision should
be celebrated &
disseminated widely

GUIDESHEET
The building blocks
of community
Many models of community building start with a ‘needs analysis’
that seeks to diagnose problems and identify gaps in a given
community or area. This is a deficit approach - looking for what
is missing or problematic - and often leads to the assumption
that the solution lies in the provision of new or more efficient
services.
ABCD is completely different. It starts from the understanding
that every community, no matter where it is, has a wealth of
assets and resources that lie at the heart of building sustainable
and vibrant communities. To help us understand all of the
potential assets and resources, we often talk about 6 different
categories of assets, which we believe are the building blocks of
a community:
1. the skills of local residents
2. the power of local associations
3. the resources of public, private and
non profit institutions
4. the physical resources of local places
5. the economic resources of local places
6. the stories of our lives and evolving
communities
The art of community building lies in the ability to engage with
and enable local citizens to collectively identify and connect
these assets through learning conversations (within trusting
relationships) and through asset mapping exercises, and
mobilise them towards community building activities. It may
take time to pinpoint and understand the full range of assets
across all of the categories especially within communities that
have been disempowered and blinded to their own gifts and
capabilities by the growth of service provision and
professionalisation.
Learning Conversations will be key to identifying
these assets. Learning Conversations are intentional,
information gathering interactions that help Community Builders
and Community Connectors understand the wide range of gifts,
talents, resources and passions that exist across their
community.
 When speaking to residents begin by finding out what
they care about enough to act on; what are the gifts and
talents they would like to contribute to the community,
and; what would need to happen for them to join in
action with like-minded neighbours? A ‘capacity
inventory’ listing these capacities under categories such
as ‘community-building skills’, ‘enterprise skills’, ‘teaching
skills’, ‘artistic skills’ etc. is useful.
 Local associations are the engines of community action in
any community because they amplify and multiply
individual gifts and are therefore essential as assets. Most
local associations are informal groups of people coming
together around a common interest, they are rarely
constituted and they may not actively promote
themselves, making them hard to find. One way to
discover them is to start with a core group of residents
and ask them what associations and informal groups they
belong to. Once these have been listed, ask the core
group to expand the list to include associations they
know about. This longer list of associations can then be
clustered by type and those associations most likely to
participate in working together for a common purpose
can be identified.
 Local institutions includes government agencies, non
government agencies and private sector businesses. The
assets of these institutions could be the services and
programmes they provide, the meeting places they offer,
the equipment and other supplies they may have, or, the
contacts they may have. They also have paid or unpaid
staff who may provide important links with the wider
community.
Revealing gifts to individuals, organisations and communities can
be extremely powerful. In every conversation, Community
Builders and Connectors have the ability to reorient people and
communities to the power they hold to make change happen.

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