2006 Authentic Leadership Summer Program

Building Communities From the Inside Out with John McKnight

The 20th century was the era of burgeoning services designed to meet growing needs. However, the unintended side effect has been a cultural shift. Most people are now defined as filled with “needs,” problems, and deficiencies to be resolved by experts, professionals, and specialists. As a consequence, the role of the local citizen and community leader as productive problem-solver has been greatly diminished. The capacity of local communities has been severely limited.

This module is designed to assist you in reviving the capacity of local citizen leaders and renewing the productivity of their communities. The module is built around the guide Building Communities From the Inside Out, which is based on several thousand case studies of productive local citizen initiatives across North America. The result is a rich resource for identifying local community assets and effective methods for mobilizing their use.

In this module you will learn how to map the asset base of your local community. This will include developing tools to illuminate the ungiven gifts of local residents and their rich network of associations. We will also explore methods used by institutions to support rather than control or exploit the resources of local communities. Finally, we will discuss our role in the revival of civil society, the core of any effective democracy.

John McKnight is the founder and co-Director of the Asset Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University where he is Professor of Education and Social Policy. The Institute's basic publication, Building Communities From the Inside Out, has become North America's best selling guide to community building and mobilization of local citizen leaders.

He has served as a consultant to many governments and institutions seeking to use their resources to support the mobilization of local citizen-centered communities. He has provided asset-based training for countless local community groups across North America and Europe. His basic approach to development has been a major force in an international transformation of community-building strategies shifting from meeting needs to enabling citizens. His book, The Careless Society, is widely used in universities as a unique analysis of institutional limits and citizen possibilities. See also www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd.html.

"John McKnight educates, motivates and more importantly asks you to change the way you view the world. He is a remarkable catalyst for change." -Jamie Thomasson, North Carolina Communities and Congregations in Partnership

"[John McKnight] is a wonderful combination-inspiring storyteller who knows how to really connect with people and hands-on implementer who knows what it takes to bring about significant community change." -Nancy Henkin, Director, Center For Intergenerational Learning, Temple University

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