Community Assessment and Strategic Planning

CCP facilitates, trains and coaches groups in a highly participatory form of strategic planning that we call Asset-Based Community Planning. Using this model, communities begin by creating a shared vision and developing outcomes that represent their dream for the future.

Community assessments focus on identifying local resources and engaging residents to conduct research, collect data, gather promising practices and discover the root causes of local issues. The capacities of individuals, voluntary associations and institutions are mobilized to create strategies and implement solutions. Action planning and evaluation are the final components that complete the planning process.

Grossmont - East County Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative
CCP worked with a Steering Committee comprised of leaders from San Diego's East County to develop an inclusive, community-driven assessment process. A largely rural area, East County is home to a diverse population including eight Native American reservations.

We trained local residents to conduct focus groups and community forums and coached local teams - including teens - through the process. The results of the assessment provided direction to improve area health and create a foundation for ongoing collaborative work in 16 communities throughout the region.

Community Partnerships for Healthy Children (CPHC)
CCP taught the CPHC collaboratives how to develop and use community assessment tools such as capacity inventories, community surveys, key person interviews, focus groups and community forums. The collaboratives used these tools to gather information necessary to understand critical issues facing young children and identify and mobilize local resources to address them. With CCP's support, Collaboratives compiled the information into Child and Family Health profiles and distributed their work throughout their communities.

For a list of CCP projects, please see Our Resume.