Description:

What we've learned over the past few years is the importance of community and those who live in our neighborhood. This is the time to try something new and reflect on how our cities and towns have changed and how this affects the way we show up in the community.  We need to rethink the role that the people and communities play in solving local problems.

In this workshop, you will be introduced to Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) as a people-centered approach to program planning. The ABCD approach looks for and starts with people's gifts and strengths (assets), when these assets are connected they can then address the problems and challenges in their communities.  Learn more about ABCD at ABCD Canada | Home (deepeningcommunity.org)

Join STOPS to Violence and Heather Keam with the Tamarack Institute to work through the foundations and principles of ABCD and how to center community in your programs and activities. This workshop is for those who are new to ABCD or want a refresher as ABCD has changed a lot over the past 10 years.

We will be providing snacks and lunch. Please let us know about any dietary needs or other accommodations to support your participation that we should be aware of. Register by May 22, 2024.

About Heather Keam, Director, Asset-Based Community Development and Belonging, Tamarack Institute 

Heather works with municipalities and organizations to build strategies that put people at the center using Asset-Based Community Development. With over 22 years of experience in community development, she uses an ABCD approach to center people and belonging in the development of community plans and strategies through coaching and training staff teams, facilitation, and writing about ABCD and Belonging.

She has a passion for the power of people and believes that people and communities are the solutions to local problems. She believes that we need to build a sense of community belonging so that people are connected to their community, and their place within it and get involved in decision-making.  She also believes that municipalities need to shift the way they show up in community from doing “for” to supporting communities to do themselves.