A place for key terms to be defined. We are building this list and have identified a number of terms that will be defined. Feel free to submit other terms or suggestions.

  • ABCD – Asset Based Community Development or Community-led Development is a large and growing global movement and community development approach that considers local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development. Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, asset-based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future.
  • Assets: for ABCD, assets refer to the things that were identified as essential to a functioning community by Kretzmann and McKnight. When we connect to and mobilise these assets within a community they can support change. 
    • Associations
    • Institutions
    • Citizens/Residents/Individuals
    • Physical assets both built and natural
    • Economic or Exchange 
    • Cultural including history, stories and values
  • Capacity building involves increasing the capacities of individuals, communities, community organisations and governments to ‘do things’ (Kenny and Connors, 2017)  
  • Citizen-Centered see Person Centered 
  • Community building – “Involves building social capital, strengthening social interactions within the community, bringing people together” (Jim Ife) to support social and community action
  • Community Builder is someone who cares about their community and takes action to make it better. A community builder often supports local action, connection and capacity building.
  • Community Connector is someone who connects people and resources in their community to each other.
  • Community Development – “Community Development is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes participative democracy, sustainable development, rights, economic opportunity, equality, and social justice, through the organisation, education, and empowerment of people within their communities, whether these be of locality, identity, or interest, in urban and rural settings.” International Association for Community Development definition
  • Community Development Practitioner–  A person who practices Community development See IACD Community Development definition above.
  • Community-led or Citizen-led is a development approach to local initiatives or projects led by residents (community members)
  • Community engagement is a relational process or practice of community development designed to build relationships with community members and groups, based on mutual trust and respect to support collective or mutual decision making. The United Nations Brisbane Declaration on Community Engagement (International Conference on Engaging Communities, 2005) describes community engagement as a two-way process by which:
    • the aspirations, concerns, needs and values of citizens and communities are incorporated at all levels and in all sectors in policy development, planning, decision-making, service delivery and assessment; and
    • governments and other business and civil society organizations involve citizens, clients, communities and other stakeholders in these processes.
  • Community groups & networks (Associations in US based ABCD language) Local constituted and unconstituted groups such as sporting clubs, service groups, senior citizens clubs, youth groups, local mums and bubs groups
  • Co-operatives are people-centred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realise their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations. Cooperatives bring people together in a democratic and equal way. Whether the members are the customers, employees, users or residents, cooperatives are democratically managed by the ‘one member, one vote’ rule. (https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/what-is-a-cooperative) 
  • Person-centred is a practice or approach that puts the person at the centre to ensure that we see people as unique individuals with valuable gifts and contributions. 
  • Public participation is the inclusion and encouragement of the public (community members) in the activities of any organisation or project that may affect them and their . right to be involved in the decision-making process.
  • Social Impact – is the change (either positive or negative) for people and communities which happens as a result of a deliberate activity or service. The term is sometimes used as the reflection of social and environmental outcomes as measurements. – https://sehub.stanford.edu/ 
  • Social Enterprise / Ventures – organisations (for-profit, nonprofit, or hybrid) whose primary purpose is to solve a social or environmental problem to benefit society as a whole. The cost of operations are offset, as much as possible, through income earned by the venture. A social venture may be structured as a nonprofit, a for-profit, or as a hybrid structure. https://sehub.stanford.edu/ 
  • Self-determination – is basically the right or freedom of people (and communities) to have choice and control over decisions that impact them without interference. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has stated that the right to self-determination involves ‘the rights of all peoples to pursue freely their economic, social and cultural development without outside interference’ and that ‘Governments are to represent the whole population without distinction as to race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin’.
  • Social Justice is a political and philosophical theory that focuses on people having equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.
  • Strengths-based approach – identifies and builds on the existing collective strengths of communities and residents. This approach supports self determination, sustainable change, and encourages  everyone in the community to participate in building a better future.

Phrases: these are common phrases used to explain ABCD. What else do you use?

  • Top Down – Government or NGO imposed development, change or initiatives. The answer to a community’s concern has been decided by those external to the community.
  • Bottom-up – Community led or informed development, change or initiatives. From an ABCD approach it starts with a question (or learning conversation) and local assets are mobilised to address a community’s concerns.
  • Glass half full – ABCD focuses on the half-full glass. The half-empty glass represents the notion that communities are deficient and have many needs. The half-full glass represents the notion that communities (and the people who live there) have many strengths, capabilities and assets. It is the half-full glass that gives us something to work with. (https://sustainingcommunity.wordpress.com/)
  • Impact in and on – A person or community group within a community will tend to perform actions which make an impact in their community, while a person or organisation from outside the community will tend to make an impact on a community.
  • Co-creating with…engaging or developing in an intentional relationship in order to make something together. Working together (collaborating) ideas are shared and improved together, rather than kept to oneself.
  • Building from Strength – Identify the strengths of a community and starting with “what’s strong rather not what’s wrong” (Jody Kretzmann, 2015)