Event description

This workshop will be held on the 11th of March.

Connecting people to community and seeing them as a part of a community is vital for having a voice and to create a sense of belonging. ABCD is a powerful approach to community engagement and development that focuses on abilities and potential, rather than problems and deficits by discovering the resources that are already present in a community.

By building relationships and creating the space for opportunities to emerge, community members become powerful and are more in control of their own decision making. The key principles will demonstrate how ABCD ensures an inclusive community process and participants will leave the workshop with practical tools to assist communities to help themselves and others discover and mobilise community strengths.

“Every single person has skills, abilities and gifts”. John McKnight

Drawing on the experience of both the participants and the facilitator, participants will leave our workshops with practical tools, skills and ideas on how to:

Join us on this journey of discovery as we offer a highly immersive and interactive workshop to introduce you to a range of asset-based community development (ABCD) practices and processes for creating powerful community actions and outcomes.

Please contact one of the facilitators of the event if cost is an issue.

The CoBu team are listed below:

Fiona – ABCD Facilitator

Fiona is a creative and innovative facilitator with a passion for bringing people together around what’s local, possible, and already strong. Grounded in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), she believes conversations matter and that meaningful collaboration sparks change. Fiona works across facilitation, graphic harvesting, community consultation, and co-designing projects alongside communities and their partners. With experience across early years, adult education, and diverse community settings, she especially enjoys supporting 8–12-year-olds to recognise their strengths and voice. Now based in northern Tasmania, Fiona loves family, friends, alpacas, chooks, volunteering—and baking excellent scones.

Harley – Community Builder & ABCD Facilitator

Harley is a passionate Community Builder and ABCD Facilitator with a background as diverse as the communities he works with. His career has spanned dance, high-end hairdressing, and medical management and governance, shaping a creative, strategic, and people-centred approach. At Jeder, Harley focuses on asset mapping, project development, and coaching, grounded in the belief that community building thrives in the “wibbly wobbly,” not straight lines. He values continual learning through working with diverse groups and practices slowing down through Four Fold Practice. Based in Perth, Harley loves beach time, his Cavoodles, and a well-curated shoe collection.

Lee – ABCD Facilitator

Lee brings a lifelong passion for community to their work as an ABCD Facilitator, delivering training, workshops, and strategic planning. With over 14 years’ experience across local government and the not-for-profit sector in Australia and the UK, Lee has focused on creating the conditions for organisations and systems to work alongside community. Their work spans social housing, homelessness, mental health, family and domestic violence, and disability. A long-time volunteer and board member, Lee has helped establish organisations addressing health inequality and supporting LGBTQIA+ communities. At the heart of Lee’s work is a strong commitment to recognising and building on the strengths and assets communities already hold.

Dee – ABCD & Art of Hosting Practitioner | Intentional Nomad

Dee is a highly experienced ABCD and Art of Hosting practitioner with over 30 years’ experience in community development, facilitation, and co-design. Known for her grounded, down-to-earth style, she brings people together to tap into the collective wisdom of communities and strengthen what’s already there. Dee has worked across youth work, community-based research, and community–university partnerships, and has facilitated hundreds of workshops, conferences, and events internationally. An Intentional Nomad, Dee has lived and worked in more than 20 countries and continues to support communities, organisations, and networks to collaborate in meaningful and transformative ways.