Step 1: Asset Mapping – Identifying your assets
Purpose: Discovery. Recognize untapped assets
Method: Name your assets. Working in groups, sparked by questions, participants fill out sheets, one asset per sheet. They share these assets (stick them on the wall, in no particular order), and "dig deeper" to discover more.
Example "sparking questions:"
Brainstorm assets of five types: individual, associations, institutions, physical, and economic
Think of individual assets of the head, hands, and heart.
Dig deeper: Think of unusual assets, something you wouldn’t have thought of at first.
Result: A lot of assets on lots of paper spread out all over the wall.
Step 2: Connect the Dots – Brainstorming asset building actions (development is creating a link between two or more existing assets.)
Purpose: Power. To release and increase the value of existing assets by connecting them to others’ assets.
Method: Connect the dots. Participants take turns linking two or more assets to create an action. The first person brainstorms an action that would use some of the assets, then groups those asset-sheets together on the wall to show how they add up to make the action. Participants give the action a name or description and record it. The next person does the same, making anew action on building on the last one. Asset-sheets can be moved around and new sheets can be added as they come to mind.
Example: My timber + your carpentry skills + her farm + our neighbors = barn raising
Result: The result should be a list of possible actions you could take with these assets.
Connect the dots to accomplish a goal you have, or
Connect the dots to bring together people with a common or complementary interest, or
Connect the dots to envision things you could do.
Remember, don’t "group" card in categories, but "link" them to put together an action.
Step 3: Vote with your feet – Creating an instant work plan
Purpose: Take action. Allow people to find what they are interested in, and to do that.
Method: Pick an action you’d most like to be involved with. Walk over to the place where that action is described (the group of asset sheets that adds up to this action). Your tools are right there. Every asset is controlled by a person or group of people – those are the people you need to talk to. That’s your work plan.
Example: Our group will talk to the people listed about the barn raising project.
Result: Priorities. These actions are the priorities for this whole group. Actions that don’t get any interest from participants, aren’t priorities. Actions that do, should be encouraged, by linking other assets to them.
Adapted from Quick and Simple Asset Mapping Exercise, Luther K. Snow, 2002
