People and communities should play a leadership role in determining their own development. Their firsthand knowledge equips them with experiences and expertise to create campaigns and policy solutions that truly work.
IAP produces Community Action Guides with local activists and partners. Used by community organizers to start or strengthen local campaigns, IAP’s materials and tools are interactive and accessible. The Community Action Guides demystify the development process, introduce the actors involved, and offer strategies for community-led solutions to development. These are reinforced with collective exercises and accessible case examples about how other communities around the world have responded to development challenges.
Community Action Guide on What is Development?
This Guide encourages communities to discover what development means for themselves and to question whether proposed plans and activities truly fit within their definition of and priorities for development. With activities, stories, and practical tools, this Guide introduces community-led development and supports communities in claiming their right to development. This Guide is available in English, Russian, Spanish and Uzbek.
Community Action Guide on Community-Led Research
This Guide has three individual booklets which together provide:
- concrete step-by-step guidance on how communities can lead their own research to determine their own development priorities, and respond to unwanted development projects;
- practical tips, tools, and activities on conducting community-led research; and
- inspiring stories from experienced community organizers around the world who have used community-led research to redefine development processes.
Follow the Community Action Guide on Community-led Research for clear and detailed guidance on each step of the research process, information on safety and security, and the stories of three community organizers who used community-led research to support community advocacy. This guide is available in Armenian, Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese, French, English, Khmer, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tajik, Tagalog, Thai, Uzbek and Vietnamese.
Consult the We’re Experts Too! A Checklist to Support Community-led Research for a concise overview of community-led research to be used on its own, or as a supplement to the Community Action Guide on Community-Led Research. This Guide is available in Armenian, Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese, English, French, Khmer, Mongolian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Tajik, Thai, Uzbek, and Vietnamese.
Adapt the Survey Template for Community-led Research to fit different contexts, with an editable version available for download here. The template contains instructions and sample survey questions that have been developed and used by communities and civil society partners in 14 countries around the world. This Guide is available in Armenian, Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese, English, French, Khmer, Mongolian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tajik, Tagalog, Uzbek, Thai and Vietnamese.
Read the stories of three community organizers who used community-led research to support community advocacy in Malawi, Mongolia and Zimbab
Community Action Guide on the Asian Development Bank
Designed with and for community organizers, the 200-page guide is filled with training exercises to help mobilize communities for the development they want. While filled with case studies from throughout Asia-Pacific, community organizers anywhere can use and adapt the lessons and exercises. The Guide is available in four languages: Burmese, English, Sinhala and Tamil.
