Facilitating Adult Learning For Social Change

(FALSCH)
Session Planning Template
Title: Assets-based Community Development through Role-playing
Time: 30 min
Participants
Four DPMI participants facilitating for 10 others.
Facilitators Intentions (Whats behind the curtain?)
That people will discover that coming together as a community, even when that
community has a lot of problems, can achieve real social change through leveraging
their community's assets.
Learning Objectives/Participants Take Away
That participants will realize and learn the potential inherent in communities, as far
as social change is concerned. Also, participants should learn that communitybuilding involves strengths-based compromises with other members of the
community.
Materials

Index cards

Markers

Handout describing scenario

Agenda Overview
Activity

Time Needed

Icebreaker (Favorite animal

and why)

5 minutes

First activity (distributing

roles/scenario. Telling
participants to write the
strengths of their roles on the
back of the cards.)

7 minutes

Materials/Resourc
es

Index cards
Scenario
Markers

Find partners and allies for

development goals based on
each participant's strengths
Present proposals to the city
council and discuss.
Discussion of the relation of
activity to assets-based
community development

5 minutes

7 minutes
6 minutes

Detailed Description of Activities

The activities revolved around the case study of an inner-city community with a
parcel of disused land that was trying to determine what to do with the land. There
were various external influences from outside the community that were attempting
to develop the land, but the community really needed affordable housing. Resolving
the conflict required employing a strengths-based approach from the relatively
poor and disadvantaged members of the community.

See attached document for scenario and roles

Notes To My FALSCH Self (Am I walking the talk?)

How does my content address issues of power and privilege in society? Does it help
to build more inclusive, equitable and sustainable communities, societies and social
institution?

The content was really good because it pitted developers against poor
mothers, teachers and other community members who lack power in the
traditional sense.

Fostering cohesion in the community was an important aspect of our

facilitation.

How do my facilitation strategies address issues of power, privilege and

participation in the session? Are we walking the talk?

We feel that weas facilitatorsput ourselves in a rather powerful position

(as city council members). This had a negative effect on power dynamics in
the group. In the future, we would have removed ourselves from the process.

We should have set up a clearer structure for the facilitation. The introduction
to assets-based community development was lacking and this led to the

absence of a framing device for the facilitation. A short lecture about the
topic was needed.

Posing some powerful questions that focused on the link between assetsbased community development and the activity would have been VERY
helpful in helping participants to make that link.

Scenario
ABCD City is undergoing a period where real estate prices are booming. There is a
seven-hectare tract of land that is located in the inner part of the city alongside a
river that has fallen into disuse and is currently owned by ABCD City. A variety of
development plans have been proposed for the tract of land and the city council has
the responsibility to decide how best to proceed with the future of this land.

The Players
City Council Member: Has the responsibility to weigh the development alternatives
and vote on the best plan.
Protestor: Completely against any commercial development of the land.
Economic Developer: Wants to build a high-rise condominium project on the land.
Mayor: A member of the city council who is standing for election this year and must
take that into account in any decision-making.
Environmentalist: Wants the seven hectares to be maintained as a pristine wetland
habitat.
School teacher: Worries about overcrowded classrooms in the inner city elementary
school at which he/she teaches.
Investor: Has invested significant resources in the potential development of the land
into a high-rise condominium project.
Community member (mother): Is worried about the high cost of housing in the city.
Volunteer: Volunteers for a community garden project and would like to see urban
gardening expanded in ABCD City.
Community member: Is incredibly concerned about the lack of affordable housing in
the inner city.

Local home owner: Is planning on selling his/her house soon so that he/she can take
advantage of the rising home prices in the area.
Zoning board member: Needs to decide which direction to take the land (currently
zoned as an industrial area).