Building+Capacity+for+All

Building Capacity for All Through Citizen Action and Democratic Dialogue

Agenda

Our intros (stories about engagement)

Participant intros: Pair in twos and talk, sharing two talents or skills they have and how they might use their talents or skills to benefit their community. The intent would be to start them thinking about asset-based community development.
 * Teach || Analyze || Listen for underlying assumptions || Motivate || Program Builder || Connect People ||  || Write Well ||
 * Listen || Fish || Community Planner || Learn || Solve Problems || Assist Deliberation ||  || Convener ||
 * Motivate || Coach || Program Developer || Vision || Sense of Humor || Strategic Thinker ||  || Energizer ||
 * ||  || Focus on Bringing it back to Reality ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||

Key point: While many of us see our talents in this broader sense of someone who works as a leader/organizer, many of those we work with in communities will answer with more specific talents such as (fish, sew, paint, build stuff). We need to be able to help everyone see how their talents can be put to use for the benefit of others. Programs such as Project Home Repair can be a place where folk might volunteer. Those who cook might work at fund-raisers or at soup kitchens.

3. Questions People Came in With

• How do we engage marginalized communities in tough/difficult conversations (e.g., racism, sexism)? • What is the current research in universities that focuses on building capacity? • How do we be “in community” with students? • How do “rich” universities (private ones particularly) help solve/address and seem relevant to underprivileged/immigrant communities? • What if all of the focus on service-learning, civic engagement is wrong? What would be a new paradigm? • How do we change the focus/perception in communities that universities are not treating people/groups like subjects? How do we convert groups to partners? • How do we deal with funding problems (specifically the usual goal of short-term funding when long-term funding is needed)? • How do we deal with the “brain drain” of local knowledge and skills (particularly of young people leaving)? • How do we train trainers? Teach process? • How do we create networks, particularly in large urban or very rural, unpopulated areas? • How do we learn to build capacity in local communities? • How do we deal with issues of power dynamics about who is valid? • How do we create new civic cultures? • What is the current research that focuses on university involvement? • What are the assets in small communities? How do they compare to those in large universities? In essence, how can we help those in marginalized communities believe and act on the skills/talents/assets that exist in their communities? • How to we sustain this work? • How do we talk about it in communities without slipping into/reinforcing power structures?

One useful tool in any group when talking about addressing questions such as these is a simple critical thinking heuristic. Ask everyone to take five to ten minutes and brainstorm on these questions:

1. What issue(s) is/are my community facing? 2. What's helping me to build community capacity or community work and/or address this issue? 3. What's hindering me (from addressing this issue and/or to building community capacity or community work in general? 4. What do I still need to know before I can effectively address this issue?

What will participants leave with?

An awareness of the need to expand the network of partners The need to continue connecting academia with community organizations. "When working with organizations there must be clear what is being left behind and the benefits for the community" Ideas about the level where to start building capacity "where people are" They also talked about the need to have concrete tools and resources for building capacity. The availability of Cooperative Extension and its role as “coach.”

4. Conclusion - share resources??

James M. Dubinsky, PhD Associate Professor Director, Center for Student Engagement and Community Partnerships (0168) Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-7935 / dubinsky@vt.edu http://www.vtserves.vt.edu/

Kari Fruechte Coop. Extension Service, Comm. Dev. Horizons Project Director kari.fruechte@sdstate.edu 138 Ag Hall, PO Box 2207D Brookings, SD 57007

605-688-4946 Luz Santana The Right Question Project, Inc. 2464 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 314 Cambridge MA 02140 Phone 617-492-1900 Fax 617-492-1950 www.rightquestion.org info@rightquestion.org