Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)

ABCD stands for Asset-Based Community Development and it challenges the traditional deficit-based approach that tried to solve urban and rural development problems. It demonstrates that local assets (people and physical assets like local parks) are key to ensure sustainable community development, and that people have a life of their own choosing. The focus must always start on what is strong, not what is wrong. ABCD is the way to build healthier, safer, prosperous and more inclusive communities from the ground up, with communities in the lead. ABCD invites us to understand that people, their families and communities have unique competencies that cannot be replaced by professional intervention. The only people who can build community are the people who live, sleep and work there.

ABCD is a key part of how we work at Active Essex Foundation. By working with a network of locally trusted organisations we are committed to respond to what is going on in local communities and be able to enhance what is already happening in the communities of Essex, Southend and Thurrock. It is only by working with these communities we have been able to launch co-designed projects.

To date through the Local Delivery Pilot and with support of Nurture Development we have trained over 250 practitioners of ABCD along with 12 ABCD Influencers and funded a further leadership course.

About our workshop:

Delivered by 2 facilitators in person ABCD-E (Asset Based Community Development Essex) is an interactive workshop designed to help you understand what we mean by asset based community development, how using a strengths based approach can support the communities you work with and influence decision makers to think differently about communities. We will explore what makes a community and the strengths within it and share some real examples of how this work has been done in local areas. This workshop is aimed as an introduction/reaffirming of ABCD knowledge.

We use examples from Essex and tailor content to the audience to ensure that we are able to give your team a relatable experience. We will ask some pre-workshop questions as well to ensure we understand who is in the room and what they may want to get from attending.

We are offering closed workshops to you and your teams (up to 25 people) delivered by 2 facilitators.

Full Day workshop: £2250

Half Day workshop: £1500

Visit our expressions of interest form here if you think you would like to be involved!