The Asset-Based Community Development Institute

At the School for Officer Training, we have been focusing on Asset-Based Community Development. This website will provide all that you need to know about this group. It provides an introduction to these ideas - as well as a host of resources that are an incredible asset (no pun intended!) for youthworkers.

Bonnie Bernard, the author of "Resiliency: What We Have Learned" acknowledges the invaluable contribution of this group.

Anyone involved in faith-based community youth initiatives will want to look at this group. There are multiple case-studies to illustrate different ways in which these forms of community organization can occur. Youthworkers - these are great tools which can easily be applied to what we do.

Here's a description:

The Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) is co-directed by John L. McKnight, director of community studies at IPR, and his long-time collaborator in community research, John P. Kretzmann , an IPR senior research associate. Challenging the traditional approach to solving urban problems, which focuses service providers and funding agencies on the needs and deficiencies of neighborhoods, Kretzmann and McKnight have demonstrated that community assets are key building blocks in sustainable urban and rural community revitalization efforts. These community assets include:

• the skills of local residents
• the power of local associations
• the resources of public, private and non-profit institutions
• the physical and economic resources of local places.

For more information, please click here...