Principles

Focus on people’s strengths and aspirations

  • What it means:

    That we focus on what good people bring to the work (rather than what they are doing wrong) and assume best intentions

  • What this doesn’t mean:

    We ignore behaviour and situations that have negative impact on the work

People and process before product

  • What it means:

    We design processes that engage people as active players in the work

  • What this doesn’t mean:

    Everyone is engaged in each and every decision (decision making autonomy is built into job descriptions, terms of reference, statements of purpose etc)

Explore possibilities as they emerge

  • What it means:

    We approach new ideas by exploring where they intersect with what we are doing, residents are doing, partners are doing

  • What this doesn’t mean:

    That we take on every idea that comes along

Innovation that is meaningful and sustainable

  • What it means:

    We think about the long term implications of the decisions we make

  • What this doesn’t mean:

    That we ensure things keep going even when they are no longer meaningful

 

Rooted in past learnings, grounded in the context of today and inspired by the possibilities of the future

  • What it means:

    We build on what has gone before. When we make decisions ensure we understand the context

  • What this doesn’t mean:

    Just because it’s always been a certain way does not necessarily mean it is the way we will always do things

 

The Connected Community Approach

Neighbourhoods are made up of people; some who live there, some who work in large institutions, and some who work in small shops; some who grew up there and some who came from other places, tens, hundreds and thousands of miles away. Neighbourhoods and other forms of community are the places where people interact, where ideas are born and where there is real opportunity to create meaningful change. But people in communities can also be disconnected from each other and even more disconnected from the systems that affect their lives.

The key to understanding neighbourhoods, or in fact any community, is understanding how the people are connected.

Graphic showing Connected Community Approach

To get the most out of the efforts made to improve communities is to intentionally and strategically strengthen the links between and among initiatives and people. When information, ideas, relationships, supports and resources are understood and shared across the players in a community, talents and assets can be mobilized and combined in multiple ways. When people and organizations work together in different ways over time, they begin to foster a sense of shared identity and belonging. A shared narrative begins to develop, new ideas are sparked, and with good facilitation, multiple players from multiple sectors can all play a role in continuous neighbourhood improvement.

That is what the Connected Community Approach does.  Take a deeper dive:  Download and read The Connected Community Approach: What it is and why it matters