1) Forever Manchester is a community foundation that works to help local communities in Greater Manchester do extraordinary things together through an asset-based community development approach. 2) Asset-based community development focuses on identifying the skills, talents, and resources within a community that can be mobilized, rather than focusing on needs and problems. It involves discovering individual talents, mapping community associations and institutions, and making connections between assets. 3) The workshop taught techniques for identifying and connecting community assets, including asset mapping, identifying individual skills and passions, finding people through positive conversations, and sharing community stories. The goal is to encourage local-led and sustainable community action.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. A shopping list

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

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

14. What Are Your Gifts?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

31. Connect the room

32. Host a party!

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

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

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

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

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

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