Stage 1: Check-in
4 Stages to Creating a Successful Program
Begin your program development by gaining a deeper understanding of your community. Learn what matters most to your community and what strengths and talents they bring to the table to address those needs. While conducting your assessment, focus on the experiences and assets that every community brings that contribute to resiliency and can improve community life.
There are many ways to assess and learn about your community. In this section, we will focus on asset mapping.
Asset Mapping
An asset map outlines and highlights community resources or assets that can help to improve the quality of community life. Knowing what assets exist in your community:
- Provides a foundation for community improvements
- Helps to mobilize action
- Makes citizens view change more positively
Think outside of the box when identifying community assets. Assets can be:
Natural assets are what we have in our natural environment: water, wood, minerals, wildlife, fertile soil, etc.
Built assets are physical structures like buildings and public infrastructure (recreational facilities, water and sewage treatment, etc.)
Social assets are the values and culture of the community, including traditions and attitudes of sharing, cooperation, and mutual support.
Economic assets are the jobs and businesses which provide livelihoods.
Public (service) assets include medical and educational services – hospitals, schools, municipal services and others provided by governments.
Intangible assets are usually undiscovered or under-utilized skills, expertise and willingness to volunteer and participate in working towards common goals.
Completing an Asset Map
Phase 1: Identify
- Determine your community scope. Are you defining “community” as a demographic group of people or a geological area like a neighbourhood or municipality?
- Once you’ve decided on your scope, create an inventory of all community associations, organizations, and institutions. Start with what you know!
- Use resources like municipal websites, town directories, friends, and colleagues to identify more associations. Or try physically walking around town to get an on-the-ground view. Regularly update your inventory as more assets appear in your community.
- In addition to recording the location of community assets, take note of: A) Who they are, B) What they do, and C) Who they are connected to.
Phase 2: Map It Out
- Once you have gathered your inventory, create a visualization by putting them on a map. You can print a street view map of your community and use push pins or create a digital version using Google Maps.
- You can also create a non-literal map diagram. However, the map may need to be more explicit or descriptive in outlining how assets are linked.
Phase 3: Analyze
- Examine any patterns that emerge, such as:
- Areas that have an abundance of a specific type of service
- Underserved areas
- Based on your pattern analysis, create a short report or summary to share with stakeholders (See Step 2 of the 4 Stages Creating to Creating a Successful Program).
Key Considerations
Consider this! Build your Asset Map with the community! Pose a community wide-challenge, or host a town hall meeting and encourage local citizens from all walks of life to make their own Map of what they see as assets, strengths or resources within the community. This is a great tool to involve the community and discover what they think makes their community valuable and strong.
Further Your Understanding
Check out these resources for more information and resources on Asset Mapping!
- ABSI connect Asset Mapping
- Collaborative for Neighbourhood Transformation: Asset Based Community Development Toolkit
- Community ToolBox Identifying Community Assets and Resources
Asset Maps are a creative method to address community needs and provide a living resource. Check out these communities that created Food Asset Maps to help their community members find healthy food options in their communities.
Next Steps
4 Stages to Creating a Successful Program
Get ready to share your report or summary to stakeholders in Stage 2: Prioritize & Plan!
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- Community ToolBox. Section 8. Identifying Community Assets and Resources [internet]. The University of Kansas. C2022 [cited 2022 October 22]. Available from: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/identify-community-assets/main
- ABSI Connect. Alberta Healthy Communities Symposium: Asset Mapping Session with ABSI Connect. [Internet]. The Coalition. 2021 [cited 2022 Octover 22]. Available from: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HKsw1puOstQoJfKhAu49FIkjuRwut7Vj/view
- Collaborative for Neighborhood Transformation. What is Asset Based Community Development? [report on internet]. The collaborative. N.d. [cited 2022 October 22]. Available from: https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/resources/Documents/WhatisAssetBasedCommunityDevelopment.pdf
- Alberta Health Services: Healthier Together [Internet]. Community Stories: Food Asset Maps. 2022c [cited 2022 October 22]. Available from: https://albertahealthycommunities.healthiertogether.ca/get-inspired/community-stories/stories/food-asset-maps/