ABCD-Training-of-Trainers-Tools-July-2013

1.20. Field Visits and Learning Exchanges
(Source: Coady Institute)
Session Title
Session Objectives
Duration of Session
Resources
Training Materials
Field Visits and Learning Exchanges
Provide examples of how field visits can reinforce ABCD principles and
practices
As desired
Flipchart paper
Markers
Example of Field Visit Advertisement
Introduction
For many people, “seeing is believing.” Visiting a community that is genuinely driving its own
development and having the opportunity to ask probing questions into how this occurred often creates
an “aha” moment for community members and development organizations. For this reason, you may
want to integrate field visits to successful communities of place or identity into your course. Be sure to
choose a site where there are examples of initiatives that are driven by the communities themselves;
where these initiatives enabled community members to use and build the community’s internal assets;
and when external resources were drawn upon, the initiative continued to be community-driven.
It is useful to provide an introduction to the community before you go so people can think about the
kinds of questions they want to ask. There may be a video that you can show or you may want to invite
someone from the community into the course tell you a little bit about what they have achieved. Before
you go to the community, you may want to brainstorm some of the questions that people want to ask.
For example:
• the initial motivation of community members to act on an idea;
• the type and range of local assets they mobilized toward this end;
• details on the community development process as it unfolded over time – with a particular focus on
the role of leadership;
• the results or impacts of this community initiative over time (and where it appears headed).
• Was there a history of successful community driven development in this community that this
initiative was able to build upon?
• How were concerns allayed and conflicts managed or averted?
• Are there particular characteristics of key individuals or communities that made this possible?
• Has there been any noticeable change in the type of leadership involved in this initiative over time?
It has also proven useful to visit communities to practice some of the asset mapping tools you will be
introduced to in the “ABCD as Practice.” For example, at the Coady Institute, we invite an interested
person within driving distance to attend our course and provided free tuition and board in exchange for
introducing us to their community, inviting community members to participate in an asset mapping day
and to arrange a tour of their community. It is often easiest for this person to call upon their friends and
networks to draw in participants, but they can also advertise in local newsletters or newspapers. Here is
an example provided by one participant (also provided in the Training Material Guide):
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