In community building, it is important to mobilize people by their gifts and capacities.

Summary of John McNight's presentation on community building.

John McKnight is a professor of Communication Studies and Education & Social Policy at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is also Co-Director of the university's Asset-Based Community Development Institute.

Mr. McKnight currently directs research projects on asset based neighbourhood development and community building. He has a particular interest in people who are labeled intellectually disabled.

During his visit in Toronto, Mr. McKnight spent a day at Options meeting with AKUGBE - It Takes a Village project and also with the Options team.

We had the chance to get feedback from Mr. McKnight on our community development initiatives as well as discuss our program model. This was a valuable opportunity to share ideas with John who has many years of community development experience working with people who are labeled intellectually disabled.

On March 3rd, Mr. McKnight presented the results of research studies conducted in many communities across Canada on community development.

The studies focused on finding "what is truly necessary in a community for positive change to occur". Mr. McKnight explained that according to this research findings in every community there are five "building blocks" for change:

a) residents;
b) groups of residents (or associations);
c) government agencies, not-for-profit agencies and businesses;
d) the actual physical space of the neighbourhood; and
e) the system of exchange, how things are bought, sold and traded in the neighbourhood.

When researchers asked the question "How do things get better in your community?" the stories people told were always about how important is to be connected to each other and build new relationships. In brief, the people who are the "connectors" are key to community development, not the "leaders" or "professionals".

"People with disabilities have often, by neglect or design, been shut out of communities. These are people who are "different' in some very visible ways from most other people: because they don't talk, or they move awkwardly, or act differently, or can't quite handle ordinary tasks the rest of us take for granted. Such people have been labeled in different ways, and all the labels focus on what is 'different' about them, and obscure what about them is 'the same' as the rest of us: the same needs for dignity, for pleasure, for friendship, for a sense of the future and a place in the community." (Community Building in Logan Square, Mary O'Connell, September 1990).

John told a compelling story to demonstrate how important is for community building to focus on what each individual is able to give to the community and not to what his or her needs and deficits are.

A committee of community members came together to build a playground for local children. Each member offered what they could - some time to help clear the space of weeds and debris, set up the equipment, or the help of a friend who had experience drawing plans for playground equipment. When one man on the committee was asked to offer something, he said "I have a bad heart." This is a deficiency that is useless to the process of building the playground for local children, in community building. However, later this man offered his time to help raise funds to purchase the playground equipment. This was his "gift", and that was what was important about his participation on the committee.

In our families and in organized groups we ignore our deficits, but then we label others based on their deficits.In community building, it is important to mobilize people by their gifts and capacities. Every community was built by using the capacities of deficient people!

 

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