| Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
An
approach to organisational and community development that
builds on strengths and successes.
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Background |
A
Sustainable Livelihoods approach advocates assessing existing strengths
and assets, rather than needs, and building on strengths in a sustainable
manner.
Appreciative inquiry (AI) is based on the theory that positive change
comes from focusing on existing community strengths and successful
experiences in the past. It is a highly inclusive process in which
organization or community members take responsibility for generating
and gathering information (usually through interviews and broader
group storytelling). Then groups form strategies for development
based on the findings from the journey to their positive past.
There are many ways that a facilitator can go about conducting an
Appreciative Inquiry. One of the more common models that is used
is called the 4D model. The 4 D's are Discover, Dream, Design, and
Deliver/Destiny. In the discovery phase, participants gather stories
and insights about what has made their community successful in the
past. Once the positive energies of the community have been discovered,
the group comes together to dream about how these past experiences
can apply to the community's future. Then the community must design
a plan from this brainstorming of how the ideal complement of past
success and future possibilities would manifest itself. The final
stage of the model Deliver/Destiny is how to make the dream a long-term
reality.
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Guide to tools |
The
above summary is based on "Situating Asset-Based Community
Development in the International Development Context" by Megan
Foster and Dr. Alison Mathie, Coady Institute HTML
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