Fundamentals of Asset Based Community Development

May 28, 2026 • 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Adaptive Leadership, Collaboration, Equity & Inclusion, Systems Change • Virtual Event

Offered by the Tamarack Institute, this workshop will provide an introduction to Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) as a people-centered approach to planning, connecting people's gifts and strengths (assets) to address the challenges in communities. This approach recognizes the power that communities have to create change and helps people to form the trust and connections necessary to create and sustain vibrant, inclusive communities.

Participants will work through the four actions of building a foundation of assets, connecting and identifying the functions of a community. There will also be an opportunity to explore how an ABCD lens can be applied to your current work.

Participants will learn about:  

ABCD as a people-centred approach: ABCD is a community-driven development (bottom-up) approach. It's about focusing on strengths and not deficits or needs to develop programs and plans.   
Resources in a community: ABCD is about uncovering the six assets or resources that communities have that are used to enhance local well-being.   
Asset mapping: ABCD approaches are iterative and emergent. While there are no methods that we can prescribe, there are several practices that communities around the world have found helpful.  Asset Mapping is one way to uncover hidden community assets.  
The functions of a community: nine functions are critical features of local natural community work. They are bottom-up, hyper-local, and citizen-led.

Cost associated. Eligible for suppor through Rotary Charities Learning Fund.