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Expanding Community Assets All communities possess a unique blend of assets. Often, development approaches have tended to focus on the tangible, exterior needs and assets of organizations and communities such as financial capital, physical capital (infrastructure, housing, etc.), and technical capital. These types of assets are critical for healthy communities, but they do not represent the entire spectrum of human needs. |
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A healthy communities approach to capacity building also seeks to intentionally develop assets that include the intangible, interior aspects of communities such as knowledge, relationships, and commitment. By creating opportunities to develop intangible and tangible assets, we create opportunities for development of the whole person in the whole community. Specifically, the BCHC Capacity Building Framework identifies opportunities to expand:
Knowledge – for example, expanding what we know about:
- community strengths and opportunities;
- the multiple determinants of health, well-being and healthy human development
Commitment – for example:
- An increase in the people, organizations and sectors that are committed to putting the healthy communities approach into practice
- A commitment from local governments to participate in healthy community initiatives, to develop Official Community Plans and corporate plans that reflect the healthy communities approach, and to create healthy public policy
Relationships – for example, expanding:
- Relationships among individuals – strengthening a sense of connectedness, shared purpose and trust among everyone working to build healthy community
- Relationships among organizations (e.g. between the Community Social Planning Council and the municipal planning department; between the health authority and municipal council; between community planners and the voluntary sector)
- Relationships within organizations (e.g. health promotion and hospital-based health services; land-use planning and social planning)
- Relationships among sectors (e.g. small business, health, education, human services, industry, the voluntary sector)
Resources – for example,
- Information
- Meeting spaces
- Skills and abilities
- Tools and techniques
- Funding
- Volunteers
Partnerships – for example
- Formalized relationships among individuals or organizations might take the form of partnership agreements, or a Memorandum of Understanding. For example, a Memorandum of Understanding might help the health authority, the local school district and a community services organization to identify principles and practices to guide each organization’s work with a specific population group, or around a particular issue. Or a group of partners may agree that the healthy communities approach will guide their work in all community contexts.
Activities – Expanded activities that build healthy community might include:
- Community learning/dialogue/action events
- Community Conversations
- Sponsor learning events
- Host a Healthy Communities planning forum
- School projects
- Neighbourhood initiatives
- Start building a local Healthy Communities Network
| 2009 BC Healthy Communities 525 Government Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 0A8 Tel: (250) 356-0930 Fax: (250) 356-5119 |
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