Strengthening Organizations, Strengthening Communities

Strengthening Organizations, Strengthening Communities

Building on Key Assets

Purpose

To build upon the assets and strengths within a given group, organization, or community, the following facilitated process can be used. It provides an opportunity for participants within a group to:

· Intentionally identify the assets and strengths in their community.

· Prioritize which assets/strengths are most important.

· Recognize the supports/threats to those assets/strengths.

· Create strategies by which to preserve or increase the assets.

Not only are the assets/strengths identified, they are prioritized based on the decisions of the group. Therefore, through this process the group identifies the key assets in their community. This provides a clearer picture of those assets and strengths to build upon. In addition, by identifying the supports and threats to those assets/strengths, participants can begin to develop strategies to address those issues. With some alterations, this process can be conducted with any size group.

Benefits

Participants begin to identify the strengths and assets within their group, organization, or community, group that may have been unrecognized or untapped prior to the discussion. Participants have opportunities to share their experiences and histories and connect with others in the group, creating stronger relationships for the future. Participants are able to identify which assets are most important and those forces that may support or threaten the continuation of each. Finally, specific strategies are developed to preserve or increase these assets.

Instructions Prior to Facilitation

· Create a friendly/welcoming atmosphere; select a meeting location that is accessible, recognized, and neutral to the purpose of the meeting.

· Chairs should be set-up so that everyone is an equal participant (non-classroom style).

· You will need markers, flipcharts, medium sized Post-it notes, voting dots, and instructions for breakout groups (if used).

Facilitation Notes
Description / Process Notes/ Related Materials
Reflect on community assets – Ask each participant to think about the top 6 assets in their community. Participants will then select the 3 most important assets and record each on a separate Post-it note. / Provide 3 Post-it notes for each participant.
Ask participants to share what they see as the top 3 assets in the community. Then ask each participant to come to the front and call out the assets he/she has identified. Places similar assets together to form themes or categories.
Ask the following questions:
- Why are these assets important?
- Are there any surprises?
- What do the surprises mean? / Flipchart responses.
If breakout groups are not used…
Ask the large group:
· Are these assets sustainable?
· If so, what supports their sustainability?
· What are the opportunities associated with these assets?
· What are the threats to their sustainability? / Flipchart responses.
If breakout groups are used…
Ask participants to decide on which asset category they would like to work. Ideally, there should be one group per asset category.
Breakout group instructions:
(1) Give your name and explain why this category is important to you.
(2) Select a facilitator, a recorder, and a presenter.
(3) Discussion items for each breakout group:
· Are these assets sustainable, and if so, what supports their sustainability?
· What are the threats to their sustainability?
Large group call out – Presenters from each breakout group call out the answers to the 2 questions, asking if anything has been overlooked. / Have handouts and writing materials available for each breakout group.
As a large group – For each theme/category, participants call out or suggest possible strategies that can be used to preserve or increase the collective value of these community assets. / Flipchart responses.
Give each participant 3 colored sticker dots, and ask them to identify the 3 most important strategies across all of those identified. Following the voting, count the number of dots on each strategy to determine the 2 most important strategies within each theme/category. / After participants finish voting, be ready to tell them which 2 strategies in each category received the most votes.
Commitment from each individual in the group – Pick 1 of the themes we discussed today. What is something that you can do immediately to preserve or increase the collective value of these community assets? / Note: Ask them to write down their commitment with their name and address. If possible, collect and mail the commitment to them in 1 to 2 weeks.

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