ABCD Training, with Forever Manchester
LEARNING ABOUT ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD).
A DAY OF LEARNING AND FUN
Have you ever been told that learning can be fun?
Yes! You read right! Learning can be a lot of fun, and that’s why we’re telling you how much fun we had on the 14th of October whilst we learnt at the same time!
IN THE BEGINNING...
At about 10am, and for almost seven hours, the team from Forever Manchester took the staff of Healthwatch Wigan and Leigh, and staff from Sunshine House on Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) training. We had a brilliant session, with so much fun and so much food that we lost track of time; simply because learning about Asset Based Community Development was as simple as ABCD!
The training method was in-person presentations with workshop/activities sessions. We were tasked with the evaluation of individual skills and the identification of people with certain skillsets within their community (The skill audit activity).
WHAT IS ASSET BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (ABCD) TRAINING?
For us to know what Asset Based Community Development training is, we need to know what it is not! Asset Based Community Development training does not look at what we need or lack, rather it looks at what we can offer to help, despite our needs, as an individual and as a community!
The training focuses on different ways we can come together for the greater good within our community by looking beyond our histories and differences and looking at the skills and resources we have individuals, and as a community. Simply put, we learnt that when people look inward at what they can give/offer, it makes communities a safer, loving, purposeful, delightful and enjoyable place to live!
ABCD Training dwells on the fact that every one of us, within the community, is gifted and good at one thing or the other irrespective of our histories, behaviours or ethnicities.
When we focus on one another’s possibilities, strengths and capabilities rather than on our differences, weaknesses and mistakes, we’ll learn to trust one another, and build relationships that make us work together to create the positive changes we desire to see in our communities. We were made aware that although individuals and communities have needs and deficiencies, they also have skills and talents to better the community.
When the conversation shifts from isn’t it awful to what’s possible, real community building begins!
The training was both exciting and insightful! While we were at the training to learn about how to better serve the community, we also had a lot of fun and many delightful things to eat. After all, those yummy menus provided the strengths and stamina to go through those long hours of training!
At the training, we all learnt different ways to engage people to create a purposeful and happy community where everyone can easily get help.
The skill audit activities were fun as we all had to shuffle through cards of different skills, and we had to think about what we can offer or who we know that can offer the skills/helps written on those cards.
Some of the assets we have within the Wigan community include the people living within the borough, the service providers, the diverse community of people living together within the borough, the physical building/Assets and the connections we share with one another.
Do you now agree with us that Learning is both fun and rewarding? Would you like to join us in our next learning adventure?
