Listen and Learn ... The Answers are with Communities (Listen and Learn I) - May, 1997

Summary
Community Development has many meanings and elicits different interpretations and ways of practice for different groups of people. Most often, the differences lie in who the players are and what their roles are, the approach that is taken, and the methods used to bring the community together. In the new community-centered health environment in Alberta and Canada, CBR (then Community Development, Capital Health), saw an opportunity and a challenge to ask new questions and assume new roles. The Glenwood community and CBR found a way that encouraged community citizens to find their gifts and abilities and opened doors to ways for shared responsibility and more local action - the Community Capacity Building and Asset Mapping© Model with the Capacity Study (now called the Steps to Capacity Success©). The essence of the Model and the Steps is a community engaging in conversation and discovery within itself, using a questionnaire and a series of steps that set the stage for Community Building.

This report describes a reflection in conjunction with the first seven of twelve groups who have used the Steps to Capacity Success©. The people from the seven groups were interviewed using a questionnaire that was developed to address five Key Questions about Community Capacity Building and Asset Mapping© and the Steps to Capacity Success©. The answers to these questions would then be utilized to increase the level of success of other Community Capacity Building and Asset Mapping© initiatives and to improve the practice of .

The Five Key Research Questions were:

• How and where did the initiative start in the community?
• What were the common elements used to find the assets and mobilize them?
• What determined the sustainability of the community building over time (1-3 years)?
• Was there a role for a service provider and what was the role? Was there a role for a community builder and what was the role?
• Did any elements of the Community Building require funding, and if so when was it received and who was the funder?

Data were gathered using two methods: (1) in-depth, open-ended interviews with key community participants, and (2) the collection and analysis of written accounts and records located at the Community Development Office. The interview data were input on four databases using Microsoft Works 3.1.

The results showed:

Key Research Question #1:
How and where did the initiative start in the community?

• Initiatives started through gatherings which encouraged "a new way", in an atmosphere of sharing, learning, and discovery of each other's gifts, ideas, and interests, which ultimately led to relationships developing between citizens.

Key Research Question #2:
What were the common elements used to find the assets and mobilize them?

• The Six Steps to Capacity Success(c) and the sub-steps were very useful as a vehicle for finding the assets and beginning the conversations that must happen between community citizens before Community Building can take place. The Asset Map and people getting together and developing relationships were most often mentioned as ways for mobilizing the communities' assets.

Key Research Question #3:
What determined the sustainability of the community building over time (1-3 years)?

• Five factors were identified as important to sustaining Community Building: (1) commitment, dedication, or perseverance; (2) being a part of an activity; (3) passion, honesty, and beliefs; (4) relationships; and (5) knowledge of community history and contacts. It was interesting that these factors seemed to emerge in some of the people as the Community Building progressed, and that others have them to start.

Key Research Question #4:
Was there a role for a service provider and what was the role? Was there a role for a community builder and what was the role?

• There seemed to be no clear separation between CBR and others as community builders. CBR was a spark and enthusiast for all seven communities and an administrator for five. All those involved, whether they were a service provider or community citizen, exhibited valued personal attributes such as: enthusiasm, positive thinking, perseverance, sense of humour, dedication, and the ability to take risks.

Key Research Question #5:
Did any elements of the Community Building require funding, and if so when was it received and who was the funder?

• The reflection seemed to show that funding can be an enabler for mobilizing community assets but may not help when it replaces the natural relationships built from the discovery of a community's gifts.

The key outcomes of this reflection were:

• Community Capacity Building and Asset Mapping©, with the Steps to Capacity Success©, works.
• Community Capacity Building and Asset Mapping© nurtures an atmosphere of discovery and sharing, from which community driven initiatives emerge.
• The Steps to Capacity Success© facilitate the building of relationships and encourage the emergence of key individual gifts that sustain Community Building - commitment, dedication, perseverance, passion, and honesty.
• CBR has keener awareness and understanding of the impact of it's involvement in, and withdrawal from, Community Building. CBR learned that staying involved longer is not disabling, but forms long-lasting relationships.

In the spring of 1998 a further reflection - Listen and Learn II, with more of our community friends was conducted. This time the "doers" (some of our community friends), were the question-makers and askers. The summary of Listen and Learn II is on our Web Site.

Sharing this research through publication, and sharing the summary and full account with others will provide further building blocks for those involved in Community Building.

http://www.cbr-aimhigh.com