Asset Mapping: Locating the Gifts in Your Community

1. Asset Mapping: Locating the Gifts in Your Community Holly DeBlois Nicole LaPointe Empowering Communities Through Access to Information and Training Module #4 September 2003

2. Overview • Definition • Importance • “How to” • Littleton case study • Sources and resources

3. Definition Asset Mapping The process of cataloging the resources of a community. Asset Mapping Pioneers: John Kretzmann and John McKnight (Asset-Based Community Development Institute)

4. Individual Resources • Every single individual • Individual skills • Computer, child care, painting, home repair • Community skills • Scout troop, church supper, political campaign • Enterprising skills and interests • Teaching, sales and marketing

5. Association Resources • Formal or informal group of community members working together • Church Women’s or Men’s Club • PTA • SCORE (Senior Core of Retired Executives) • Assets • Activities/services/funding provided to comm. • Communication channel • Future opportunities

6. Institutional Resources • Formal, structured organization that typically does not rely on volunteers • School • Hospital • Assets • Employees (pd time to do community svc.) • Facilities/services (space, copying) • Volunteer/learning opportunities (school to work program)

7. Economic Resources • Dollars generated by local and regional activity • # and/or % employees hired locally • % and/or $ of supplies & service bought locally

8. How These Assets Fit Together

9. Importance of Asset Mapping Asset Mapping

10. Importance of Asset Mapping (cont) • Create awareness of local resources • Use resources in health improvement activities • Recognize and value the gifts within a community

11. How to Map Community Assets • Step 1: Define your community • Specific population: elderly, disabled, youth • Geographic boundary • Faith, ethnic, racial community

12. How to Map Community Assets (cont) • Step 2: Define what you want to do with the information collected. • Examples: • Create community resource guide • Create a searchable database of community resources to tap for a health initiative • Link individuals with paid/volunteer opportunities

13. How to Map Community Assets (cont) • Step 3: Select what assets you want to identify. • What skills do you need to identify? • Start with pre-existing asset inventory tool • Add and delete skills • Keep focused on what you will do with this information.

14. How to Map Community Assets (cont) • Step 4: Identify if an asset mapping activity has been done previously in your community (ex. United Way Assessment). • How recent is it? • Will it provide the information you are looking for? • What did or did not work well?

15. Asset Mapping: Previous Efforts

16. Individual Asset Inventory Tool

17. Association Asset Inventory Tool

18. Institutional Asset Inventory Tool

19. Economic Asset Inventory Tool

20. How to Map Community Assets (cont) • Step 5: Develop plan to collect the information. • When do you need the data? • What methods will you use to collect the info? • What resources (people, copying, database creation and entry, facilitators) do you need to collect the info? • Who is going to do what and by when?

21. Sample Activity Tracker

22. Existing Information Resources in Your Community • Chamber of Commerce • Phone Book • The Internet • Local Newspaper • Previous Inventories (ex. United Way)

23. Information Collection Tips • Ask advise of target population • Think outside the box • Web / Email Surveys • Newspaper inserts • PDA / Laptops • Church Supper • Think Ahead • If your goal is to build a data base, use a method whereby information is entered and collected simultaneously. Ex: access data base

24. How to Map Community Assets (cont) • Step 6: Map the assets of your community • Use town map & color-coded push pins • Use GIS Mapping software to create a map • Example: mapping recreational assets • Get community map and use push pins or color-code available recreation facilities, such as: play grounds, parks, ice rink, skate board parks, etc. • Create a booklet of community recreational facilities.

25. How to Map Community Assets (cont) • Step 7: Evaluate your process and results • Process: what worked well and what did not • How many completed? • Did you reach your target population? • Outcome: • Able to create final product? • Benefits derived? • Number of individuals mapped • Grant money received

26. Littleton Model Community Project Nicole LaPointe, Project Director Funded Through UNH Institute on Disability and the NH Department of Health and Human Services

27. Partners in Planning • Identified efforts that dovetail with LMCP interests • Identified associations for networking • Found the ‘experts’ in the community

28. Project Goals • Improve access to town and public facilities • Improve access to services and assistive technology • Increase Employment Opportunities • Increase Leadership and Volunteer Opportunities

29. Improving access • Identify town resources • Inventory business that are accessible • Work to create accessible public places • Increase access to services and assistive technology.

30. Increase Employment and Volunteerism • Identify businesses that employ or would like to employ older adults or people with disabilities • Identify organizations that rely on volunteers • Identify people who want to work, their skills, and interests

31. Sources and Resources • Community tool box website • http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/section_1043.htm, Chapter Three, Section 8 • assessing community needs and resources • Asset-Based Community Development Institute • Institute started by John Kretzmann and John McKnight contains publications and workbooks about asset mapping and the larger concept of asset-based community development. • http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd.html

32. Sources and Resources • Center for Applied Rural Innovation (University of Nebraska) • Vitalizing Community: Building on Assets and Mobilizing for Collective Action • Facilitation Guide • Workbook presents step-by-step guide to preparing for and hosting an asset mapping effort. • http://cari.unl.edu/facilitatorguide.pdf • Community Guide • Workbook for community participants in an asset mapping effort. • http://cari.unl.edu/communityguide.pdf

33. Summary • Communities have lots of assets to capitalize on • individual, associational, institutional, economic • Asset Mapping is a helpful technique to identifying and USING a community’s existing resources to cause change.

34. Questions or Comments?

35. Holly DeBlois Research Associate NH Institute for Health Policy & Practice 103 Pettee Hall University of New Hampshire Durham, NH 03820 Ph: (603) 740-1946 Fax (603) 862-4457 Email: holly.deblois@unh.edu Emp. Comm. Website: www.nhhealthpolicyinstitute.unh.edu/EPC.html Nicole LaPointe Project Director Littleton Model Communities Project North Country Health Consortium 646 Union St., Suite 400 Littleton, NH 03561 Ph: (603) 444-3996 ext 27 Email: nlapointe@nchin.org