Upcoming Assets Mapping Dates

Upcoming Dates

Assets Mapping will be taking place on the following upcoming dates – be sure to mark your calendars!

• Monday, July 27
• Monday, August 10
• Monday, August 24

Each meeting will begin at 6:00pm.  After a brief conversation from a guest speaker, we will head out into the community at 6:30 to meet and chat with people.  Around 7:30, the group will meet back at Tab to discuss what they learned.  The meetings are over by 8:00pm.  Come join us!

See previous Assets Mapping announcemements here.

Assets Mapping Update

Assets Mapping at Tab is beginning to hit its stride, and these early conversations have already shown that Tab will learn a great deal about the good already at work present in the community and can take part to help the community grow even stronger.

Every other Monday night, the group meets at Tab to head out in the community to get to know neighborhood residents and to learn more about the neighborhood.   At the end of the night, the group comes back together to discuss their thoughts about their conversations.  As people share what they learned, their ideas are recorded as notes on a message board that summarize each conversation and  lists various, talents, abilities and hopes for the community.  As the board continues to fill up, the group will begin to organize and look for patterns in these conversations to see how the group can connect people’s different their talents, passions, and opportunities in creative ways/

These first conversations have underscored how unique and diverse the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood is.  People from all walks of life live in the area.  Some are active in the neighborhood, others are not (and some people are very familiar with Tab, while others have no idea what the church has done in the community).  It is becoming apparent that many people have talents that are “hidden” to the rest of the community and these conversations are beginning to bring these assets to light.  Each of these conversations has shown that there are lots of opportunities for Mapleton-Fall Creek to continue to grow and learn from each other, and the Assets Mapping board is beginning to bring these prospects together.

Despite the fancy name, Assets Mapping is a really simple idea – go have conversations with people in the community, learn what they are passionate about, and then connect people together to bring these ideas and dreams into reality.  No one can predict where these conversations will lead; it is a very open-ended process without a predetermined end goal.  In some respects, participating in Assets Mapping is a small leap of faith: you might not know who might answer your knock at the door, and people might not be willing to open up and share their opinions about the community.  However, almost all of the group’s conversations so far have been encouraging.  The group has left each night hopeful that this work will help Tab learn about the talents, passions and skills already present in Mapleton-Fall Creek.

Often, it takes some time to “break the ice” to explain what Assets Mapping is and what we are trying to accomplish.   Many people have jumped right in and let their ideas and comments flow freely about the neighborhood.  I have been impressed with people’s eagerness to engage in conversation with us and their hospitality (I shared a hot dog with one family last time out).  But, in a few rare instances, some people have remained reserved and held back their thoughts and comments.  However, it is always possible that these first introductions can spark people’s imaginations about what they can do (and already are doing) to leave a positive mark on the neighborhood.

If you’re interested in participating, come by this Monday.  It is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a nice summer night meeting new people and learning where God is already at work around Tab’s neighborhood!

Submitted by Eric Lange

Assets Mapping – June 29th

Neighborhood Assets Mapping Meeting
Monday, June 29^{th
6:00pm-8:00pm}

The next meeting will include a chance to get to know and converse with people in the neighborhood.

We will have a guest speaker from 6:00pm – 6:30pm.  Afterward, we will go out and interview neighbors from 6:30pm – 7:30pm and then come back to Tab to discuss our conversations.  Questions for the conversations will be provided, and anyone who is interested in meeting our neighbors is welcome to join us.  For additional information feel free to contact Ann Reynolds at 923-5458 ext 130, or Nancy Russell at 475-0959.

What is Assets Mapping?

What does this Assets Mapping process look like?  John McKnight and John Kretzmann, creators of the Assets-Based Community Development process, wrote a paper describing this Assets Mapping process and how it is different from traditional models of community development.  To read the full 20-page paper including appendices, click here to download a PDF version.

Two Community Maps

“…there is another map, an old map of neighborhood deficiencies and problems. As we noted at the outset, it is a ‘needs-oriented’ neighborhood map created by ‘needs surveys.’ This is a powerful map, teaching people in low-income neighborhoods how to think about themselves and the place where they live.

“This map is initiated by groups with power and resources who ask neighborhood people to think of themselves in terms of deficiencies in order to access the resources controlled by these groups…Indeed, the institutions that produce this map not only teach people in low- income neighborhoods that their needs, problems, and deficiencies are valuable, they also teach people outside these neighborhoods that the most important thing about low-income people and their neighborhoods is their deficiencies, problems, and needs.  In this way, low-income people, helping institutions, and the general public come to follow a map that shows that the most important part of low-income neighborhoods is the empty, deficient, needy part. An example of this Neighborhood Needs Map is on the following page:” [located below]

 

“It is true that this map of needs is accurate. But, it is also true that it is only half the truth. It is like a map of the United States that shows only that portion east of the Mississippi River. The United States is also the portion west of the Mississippi River, and a map omitting the west is obviously inadequate in the most fundamental ways.

“Similarly, every neighborhood has a map of riches, assets, and capacities. It is important to recognize that this is a map of the same territory as the neighborhood needs map. It is different because it shows a different part of the neighborhood. But the most significant difference about this capacity map is that it is the map a neighborhood must rely on if it is to find the power to regenerate itself.  Communities have never been built upon their deficiencies. Building community has always depended upon mobilizing the capacities and assets of a people and a place. That is why a map of neighborhood assets is necessary if local people are to find the way toward empowerment and renewal. An example of a Neighborhood Assets Map is on the following page [located below]:”

From my (Eric’s) perspective, this map can be a bit complicated to read at first.  Essentially, the map tracks which institutions are engaged in the community, what community associations are present, and the gifts and talents of individuals in the community.  Tab’s finished map will probably look much different than this diagram – this map simplifies the assets mapping process to make it easier to follow.  But, as you might be able to tell between the two diagrams, the approaches are very different.

There will be more information about this Assets Mapping process at the June 1st meeting.

Assets Mapping @ Tab Initial Meeting

Assets Mapping Initial Planning Meeting

Monday, June 1st, 7:00pm

Tabernacle Presbyterian Church

Many of you remember that Kit Danley (Tab at Home RetreaT) challenged us to consider creating a community assets map, as our next step in Neighborhood Ministries.  Community Ministries Committee is now ready to move forward on this new opportunity.

Anyone interseted in participating is welcome to attend this meeting on Monday, June 1, at 7:00p.m. in the Session Room, and find out more about this project.

Assets Mapping involves many tasks, and opportunities are availaable for a oen day or one afternoon commitment, or deeper involvement over a six to nine month period. Assets Mapping is hte process of researching our porential ministry area looking for what God is already doing there (assets). 

Many of you remember that Kit Danley (Tab at Home Retreat) challenged us to consider creating a community assets map, as our next step in Neighborhood Ministries.  Community Ministries Committee is now ready to move forward on this new opportunity.

Anyone interseted in participating is welcome to attend this meeting on Monday, June 1, at 7:00p.m. in the Session Room, and find out more about this project.

Assets Mapping involves many tasks, and opportunities are availaable for a oen day or one afternoon commitment, or deeper involvement over a six to nine month period. Assets Mapping is the process of researching our potential ministry area looking for what God is already doing there (assets).