While every Asset-Based Community Institute (ABCD) project is different, all take the approach of identifying what's right with a community and how residents can improve it. Two of ABCD's new grant-funded projects focus on school improvement in Chicago and health betterment in Rochester, New York.The Chicago project is studying the strategy of using a "community-school connector" to build new partnerships that benefit both schools and their local communities. "Communities that have working, successful schools are more vital communities," says ABCD director John Kretzmann. "And on the school end, research is clear that the more parent and community involvement there is in the school, the greater the chance of success for the students."
A person in the connector role can make a difference for both partners. "We're finding one of the major outcomes … has to do with enhanced parent involvement," Kretzmann asserts. In addition, in one Chicago school being studied, early outcomes include a student clean-up of the community, local internships for students, a health clinic and safety measures such as a community guards. The researchers will disseminate their findings and materials nationwide later in the three-year project, which is funded by the Chicago Community Trust.
The "connector" at one South Side school spent six months on a "listening campaign" to find networked leaders, discover what a good school could contribute and create healthy relationships with the community. "We began looking for how the community resources could be brought to bear in the school and how the school resources could be brought to bear in the community," explains Kretzmann. "We're now in conversation with Chicago Public Schools about how some of the lessons could be spread to other new schools."
In Rochester, ABCD is assisting five community coalitions to "improve health from a grassroots perspective," says ABCD associate director Deborah Puntenney, who acts as the technical advisor. Supported by a grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, ABCD is helping community groups to pinpoint community assets they can build on and to organize local residents.
The approach is different because it involves ordinary citizens taking action, rather than reliance on experts, according to Puntenney. She brings ABCD principles and practices to community groups, helps them analyze data and troubleshoots. "I'm helping them put all the pieces together," she explains.
After one year of the three-year project, new programs such as farmer's markets and nutrition education are starting. In the long run, Puntenney predicts the project will increase residents' accessing of health services, decrease violence, encourage healthy behavior and promote healthy social engagement.
Another recent example of ABCD's community-based research is Puntenney's evaluation of KaBoom!, a national nonprofit that helps communities build playgrounds where safe play spaces are lacking. KaBoom! has a well-defined process of engaging a community, as well as a toolkit for community groups. On Build Day, hundreds of people build a playground in one day.
Site visits, interviews and surveys resulted in high ratings for KaBoom's effect on community development and the quality of children's play. While a major goal for KaBoom! is community building, the ABCD study found other "unintended positive consequences in areas of other investment in community," Puntenney reports. These included improvements in nearby housing, landscaping such as flowers planted and additional investment in the neighborhood.
In all of its community-based research projects, ABCD focuses on improving communities from the inside out. "It's a bit of a leap of faith that mobilizing citizens will lead to major changes," Puntenney notes, adding that ABCD maintains that every community, no matter how poor or disenfranchised, has vast stores of assets to build upon.
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ABCD's recent community-based research includes an evaluation of the nonprofit KaBoom!, which helps communities build playgrounds.
Last Modified: 8/20/09