Sounds Good but Does it Work? Assets Based Community Development in Practice

Smeaton T¹*, Castles M¹*

1. The Benevolent Society, Wyong, NSW, Australia

The New South Wales Central Coast is a rapidly changing and growing community with all the excitement and challenges this brings to long established residents and newcomers alike.

The enhancement of social capital though community building is a key ingredient in positive outcomes for individuals, families, neighbourhoods and local communities but what clues do we have to what works in practice?

This paper explores an assets based community development model in two Central Coast neighbourhoods and has given us important clues on how the role of community worker as catalyst can effectively support communities at the local level.

The Killarney Vale Bateau Bay Tumbi Umbi Community Building Network with its’ many partners and varied projects such as The Wave Community Newspaper, Sports-in-the-Neighbourhood, Family discos and playgroups provides one example whilst The San Remo/ Blue Haven area provides another with its’ indigenous and culturally linguistically diverse community linking and leadership enhancement activities and community beautification and garden.

This paper explores these successful projects for practice clues that provide possibilities for application in other neighbourhoods and communities.

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