Introduction to Community Asset Mapping

Adopting Asset Mapping in an Urban Ward in Madurai City Introducing the concept to MSW I year Students of Madurai Institute of Social Sciences S.Rengasamy S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW

This presentation is based on our field work experience in an urban ward (Ward No 5 K.Pudur) within Madurai Municipal Corporation limit.
The reason for selecting this ward is, it is located very near to our College, Madurai Institute of Social Sciences.

The Image (Flyer) prepared in the
year 2003 indicates our desire to
organize participatory workshops to
understand an urban ward. Ten
different types of participatory
exercises were planned to use

This map is generated using GPS and used as a base map to understand and locate the community assets in the area. The efforts to create this map will be better appreciated if one see the original map supplied by the corporation, existing for more than 130 years as a municipality and then as a municipal corporation for the second biggest city with a million + population in Tamilnadu

This map is generated using GPS and used as a base map to understand and locate the community assets in the area. The efforts to create this map will be better appreciated if one see the original map supplied by the corporation, existing for more than 130 years as a municipality and then as a municipal corporation for the second biggest city in Tamilnadu with a million + population

Uncovering Local Assets The Foundation for Building Stronger Communities S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW

Ask Questions
John McKnight who pioneered the concept of asset mapping would ask many questions of the thousands of communities he visited
“ What have you done that has been
successful in your community that you could
share with others?”
S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW

Learning from the field… Collecting Stories
The practitioners of asset based community development collected thousands of stories about what makes successful local initiatives
What are the building blocks the communities used?
What is the stuff the communities used?
What are the “ingredients” the communities
used?
Over and over 5 ingredients appeared in all
the communities

John McKnight has written a book based on his experience which reminded people what the 5 ingredients are and the stories communities told that make them successful
Each story does not use all 5 ingredients
The story was written as a book “Asset Based Community Development”
It is the most popular book on “community development”, selling over 95,000 copies and over 20,000 given away

Needs Vs Capacities Understanding Needs
A “need” is defined as a gap or discrepancy between an existing state of affairs (what is) and the desired or preferred results (what should be)
S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW What Is? What Should Be? A Need “ Gap Between A & B” A B

What is a Needs Assessment?
A formal tool that involves the identification of gaps
Placing gaps in some type of priority order
Making decisions on which of the priority needs warrant the attention and resources of the community

Starting With Needs: Is it Putting the Cart Before the Horse?
When we start with an assessment of local needs, we convey a message that communities and the people who reside within them are fundamentally deficient
Leaves impression that local people are unable to take charge of their lives and their community’s future
Deficiency models don’t tend to focus on the development of plans to mobilize the entire community

Start with Capacity-Development
Community development, to be successful over the long-term, must focus within the community -- on the very people and organizations that are located there
Thus, a key first step in CD is to map the capacities, skills, and assets of local citizens and organizations
When we uncover local assets, we have a rich reservoir of resources available to address issues of local concern
The key is to effectively marshal these local strengths in order to collaboratively address issues of importance to the community

Needs vs.. Assets NEEDS ASSETS Focuses on deficiencies  Focuses on effectiveness Results in fragmentation of responses to local needs  Builds interdependencies Makes people consumers of services; builds dependence Identifies ways that people can give of their talents  Residents have little voice in deciding how to address local concerns  seeks to empower people S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW

5 Assets are a reality
These 5 ingredients or ASSETS are a reality just like a map of Tamilnadu or any other area
The Assets are not a theory
The Assets are not invented
All communities contain the 5 Assets

Community Assets S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW Economic Education Political Religious Associations Kinship

First Asset - CITIZENS
The first asset that appears in every story is the local residents = Citizens
Recognized as an individual
Landowners
Tenants
Employees

Second Asset - ASSOCIATIONS
The second asset are: groups of local residents that come together
They are not paid
They care
Technical name is Associations
Neighborhood Associations
Block Clubs
Athletic Groups
Prayer groups
Associations appear in lots of stories about successful communities

Third Asset - INSTITUTIONS
The third asset are: groups of people that gather but are paid to do what they do to produce services
Organized like a triangle - hierarchy
Institutions CANNOT CARE
Three kinds of institutions
For Profit – hospitals & private schools
Not for profit – goodwill
Government – city hall, library

Fourth Asset - LAND
The fourth asset is: the land and everything on it
Infrastructure
Buildings
Streets
Utilities

Fifth Asset – ECONOMY
The last asset that we cannot draw is: the Economy
Things that are shared
Things that are traded
Things that are purchased
Things that are exchanged

5 Assets in Asset Based Community Development
CITIZENS
ASSOCIATIONS
INSTITUTIONS
LAND
ECONOMY
Informal Organizations/Associations Formal Institutions Institutions Land Economy People S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW

Individual
Asset Based Community Development says that “people are the answer” the focus is:
finding who has what assets
how to connect assets
how to get people to contribute their assets to help solve problems

Social Services vs. ABCD
The major difference between the social services model of looking at people and the ABCD model can be summed up as how each looks at the “individual”
S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW we are citizens (someone that contributes to the community) We are the answer We can all make a contribution Community can take pride in itself Local relationships are important and improved We are equal with others – we work together we are clients (someone who is controlled) We are deficient We need to be fixed We are dependent The agency can fix us -- if we listen to them Asset Based CD model Social Services model

Alexis De Tocqueville:
“ In those places where one encounters very powerful and rich men, the weak and poor feel, as it were, burdened by their lowly status and since they discover no means of being able to recover equality, they lose any sense of hope in themselves, drifting below any standards of human dignity .”
(1805-1859) S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW

Asset Mapping
Individuals have:
Gifts
Talents
Dreams
Hopes
Fears

Focus on Gifts
Everyone has them – we learn ways to hide them
Can remove negative labels – diabetic / drug addict / handicapped
Gifts are not gifts unless they are shared

Personal “assets”
Gifts of the head – things you know about (birds, movies, art history)
Gifts of the hands – things you know how to do (carpentry, gardening, cooking)
Gifts of the heart – things you care deeply about (environment, education )

Asset Mapping Questions
Exercise
What gift (skill, interest, hobby) do you have that would surprise most people?
What makes you a great family member?
What “absorbs” you enough that you lose track of time?
What really good thing is going on in your neighborhood?

Why do asset mapping?
It is a guide for relationship building, not just data.
Knowing others in your community that have similar interests allows groups to gather for a common cause
Asset mapping is a very powerful tool in community building.

What motivates people?
Think about a book drive to help a youth center.
Someone that contributes may care about:
the kids having something safe to do
learning about a particular subject such as art
understanding the history of their ancestors
getting rid of some old books…

Roles for Individuals:
Leader – someone that can bring people together to work on an issue
Gift Giver – a person that is willing to contribute their asset to work on an issue.
Invisible Person – a person that has not yet been “discovered” or been convinced to use their assets to help achieve their dreams for or fix their concerns in the neighborhood.

Roles for Individuals
Connector – an individual that is good at discovering what people care about and where their assets can be used.
Gift centered
Well connected
Trusted
Believe they are welcome

Associations & Institutions
How they are organized will tell you what they are
Institutions are triangles and Associations are circles
You need to know what tools to use because each require different tools
You do not want to use a hammer to trim a tree

Citizen Hat vs. Professional Hat
It is your “citizen hat” that is your wisdom hat
Your “professional hat” is used while you are at work not in your community
As a citizen you are recognized as a
Person with a gift to give
Mother/Father
Neighbor
Friend

Institutions & Associations How are they organized? S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW Capacity Needs Citizens Clients, Consumers Care (Love) Produce Goods & Services Consent – Not Paid Control – Paid ASSOCIATIONS INSTITUTIONS

“WHO CARES?”
Care, unlike service, cannot be produced.
Care is the consenting commitment one has for the other, freely given.
Care cannot be mandated, managed or produced as a service can.
One of the great errors in most policy making maps is the pretension that systems can “produce care.”
Care is the domain of the associational community.

Glass ½ Full or ½ Empty
In the symbolic example of the glass filled to the middle with liquid, the system needs the empty half while the community needs the full half.
The service system needs a client. They need to create jobs and need your needs.
The community needs a citizen with assets to contribute.

People and Communities have deficiencies & needs Individuals and Communities have skills and talents S.Rengasamy Unit for Madurai Studies Field Work MISS MSW

Why do Associations Fail?
Associations fail when they confuse themselves as institutions and institutions as associations
Associations CARE
Institutions CANNOT CARE
Decide on an answer and try to get people involved in doing the answer
Exclude people
Hand over vision to an institution

Three Examples that make bigger Triangles
Outreach – Triangle moves a small piece of them into the circle
Volunteering – Triangle gets citizens to volunteer to a triangle cause, they have to follow the rules of the triangle game
Citizen Advisory Group – Triangle assembles people around them to get them to do what the triangles want
None of these help the Circles and are not community building and not a partnership

Institutions
How do we turn our institutions from a fortress into a treasure chest?
Respect they are organized for Consistency, Sustainability and Reliability
Produce Services, Cannot produce Care
Strong communities make strong institutions … they can be community serving by local action
Purchasing, Investment & Banking, School Involvement, Accountability: Local people serving on Boards & Committees, Staff contributes time, resources and effort to community, Contributing use of space and equipment, Opening doors
Economic power, Grants

Successful Communities
Connect neighborhoods & use many gifts
Created at the core an association of associations – Associations are the Lords
Citizens have the final responsibility of outcome & work – Institutions become the Servants with assets
Group of local citizens join together to create a vision with common goals
Discover what they have
Discover what they want to do
Decide how they want to do it
Take action and DO IT
Implement vision, want support for contributions & production not for deficits
Needs of Community should be the last question

Association Mapping
Exercise
What associations you have found in the area?
Formal and Informal
Education Groups, Charitable Groups, Animal Care Groups, Anti Crime
Groups, Civic Events Groups, Cultural Groups, Addiction Prevention and
Recover Groups, Disability/Special Needs Groups,, Elderly Groups,
Environmental Groups, Family Support Groups, Health Advocacy &
Fitness Groups, Heritage Groups, Hobby Groups, Men’s Groups,
Mentoring Groups, Self Help Groups, Neighborhood Improvement Groups,
Political Organizations, Recreation Groups, Religious Groups, Service
Groups, Social Groups, Social Cause/Advocacy Issue Groups, Trade
Union Groups, Women’s Groups, Youth Groups

Taking ABCD Home ABCD - Asset Based Community Development
Determine community goal
Find allies
Determine additional players
Decide how to bring them on board
Identify assets to contribute from your institution, association, and/or individually
Utilize these resources to map and mobilize community
Come back to ABCD Intensive to share stories, successes and challenges

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Introduction to Community Asset Mapping

by Srinivasan Rengasamy

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