This interactive session introduces nonprofit leaders and practitioners to the principles of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), a strengths-focused approach to building healthy, resilient communities. Rather than beginning with deficits or external dependencies, ABCD invites leaders to see the abundance that already exists in their communities—people, relationships, cultural assets, physical spaces, and informal networks—and mobilize them for sustainable change. Participants will explore how ABCD has been successfully used in rural North Carolina to transform congregations, partnerships, and local economies. The session includes case studies from the NC Rural Center’s Faith in Rural Communities program, hands-on exercises in asset mapping, and group discussion around overcoming scarcity mindsets. Attendees will leave with tangible tools to activate local assets, expand civic capacity, and promote equity and inclusion in underserved regions.
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