In the spring of 2021, Jessica Beckendorf (UW-Madison Extension), Brigitte Scott (OneOp) and I facilitated a series of workshops designed to surface the community-building opportunities that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The workshops were part of our work as the OneOp Network Literacy team. We brought together professionals serving communities and military families. Our conversations were guided by four questions selected from or inspired by the many powerful questions included in the Asset-based Community Recovery (ABCR) Framework developed by Jonathan Massimi and Heather Keam.
- Do you have a story that comes out of this experience that inspires hope?
- Which unknown assets have come to light?
- What has happened that you don’t want to lose?
- What did you need or wish for during the pandemic that your community can now provide?
The stories of community recovery were shared in the workshops were beautifully captured by graphic recorder Sherrill Knezel of Meaningful Marks.
Eight distinct themes emerged from our analysis of the stories shared in the Asset-based Community Recovery Workshops.
- Ground yourself in your strengths and values.
- Make deep connections.
- Adapt, flex, and be resilient.
- Apply technology to community, and community to technology.
- Invest time in leisure, in learning, and in yourself.
- Share the work (and love).
- Watch for opportunities to think big.
- Come back better.
We explore those eight themes, and offer some action steps and additional resources for each theme in the Connection Communities in Asset-based Community Recovery Guide. This free guide also features more of Sherrill's graphic recordings. You can download the complete 44-page guide at https://oneop.org/network-literacy/connecting-communities-in-asset-based-community-recovery/.
We have also created a short booklet keenly focused on the actions you can take to start building the community connections necessary for community recovery. You can get your free copy of 8 Ways to Cultivate Community in Times of Change at https://oneop.aweb.page/practi...onnection-newsletter.
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