Mobilizing Assets for Community-Driven Development

May 21 - May 31 Application Closed
Sept. 23 - Oct. 11, 2013

What you can expect

Building on our action research with international partners and our case study research in 13 countries around the world, this certificate will provide an opportunity for you to learn from successful communities about how to initiate and stimulate citizen-led development. Through a combination of theory, practical tools and field work, this course will provide you with a concrete plan for shifting your organization’s focus from an emphasis on community needs and problems to one that understands and recognizes the assets, strengths and opportunities within the community.

Personal benefits

  • Learn the theory and principles behind citizen-led and asset-based approaches
  • Acquire participatory monitoring and evaluation techniques
  • Discover how to integrate citizen-led and asset-based principles into the work of your organization
  • Be introduced to innovative forms of member-based organizations as vehicles for sustainable community-led activity
  • Learn strategies for allowing citizen-led initiatives to proliferate and scale-up through multi-stakeholder platforms and by linking producers to markets

Organizational benefits

  • Strategies to shift from a needs-based, problem-solving approach to one that uses the existing strengths and capacities of communities as the starting point for the design of your programs, policies and practices
  • Develop models for service delivery that support citizen-led initiatives and programs

Who is best suited for the program?

This program is designed for senior practitioners and policy-makers from NGOs, donors, universities and the private and public sectors working in domestic or international development.

Two-week spring certificate

You will be involved in issues-based seminars about asset-based approaches to community development, and their implications for development practice and policy. You will also be introduced to the basic tools of applying as asset-based approach at the community level.

Three-week fall certificate

In this longer program, you will be introduced to a wider range of tools and methods. These will help you recognize the strengths and capacities in all communities and help communities build on those strengths for community- or citizen-driven development. A field visit to a Canadian community will allow you to practice some of these tools.