COMMUNITY ANIMATION SERIES
ABCD Foundations
A 2-day foundational course for residents and community workers who care deeply about their communities - and want to take meaningful, collective action grounded in real relationships and local strengths.
Most community efforts start with problems.
The most powerful ones start with people.
Course Overview
Community Animation: ABCD Foundations is a practice-driven, place-based course grounded in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD). Rather than starting with problems or gaps, participants are guided to:
Start with what is strong, not what is wrong
Explore what a “better life” means in their own own community
Discover the gifts, assets, and relationships already present
Learn from community initiatives in action
Mobilise neighbours and peers around what they care about
Throughout the course, participants are encouraged to plan as they learn, so that nothing remains abstract or theoretical. By the end of two days, each participant will have identified concrete next steps they can take within their own community.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is designed for residents and community workers who wish to start or strengthen a community initiative in a community they are part of. This includes:
Residents, volunteers, and informal community leaders
Community workers (e.g. social service practitioners, programme staff, faith-based workers, grassroots or sector-based staff)
People who live in, work in, or closely identify with the community they hope to support
You may be a good fit if you:
Care about the well-being of your own community
Prefer place-based initiatives with face-to-face engagement
Want communities to have greater ownership and voice in their neighbourhood
Are new to ABCD (or have only basic familiarity)
Are comfortable learning in English (around ‘O’ level proficiency)
Prefer learning that is practical, grounded, and not overly academic
This course is not intended for commercial ventures or initiatives disconnected from one’s lived or working community.
By the end of the course, you will be able to…
Apply an asset-based mindset, starting with strengths rather than deficits
Articulate what a “better life” means in their own community context
Identify the gifts of individuals, including themselves and others in the cohort
Recognise and map community assets across multiple forms
Understand how different community functions support well-being
Learn to activate the first steps towards ABCD through the Resilience Trails
Mobilise neighbours and peers to start an initiative that improves the well-being of their community
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MORNING (Discovering What Matters)
Cohort Compact
Setting shared expectations, trust, and psychological safety for learning together
The Better Life Conversation
Guided reflection and sharing around what makes for a better life
Discover Community Functions
Understanding how ABCD helps a community reclaim its essential roles and sense of connectedness
The Gifts of Individuals – Gifts of the Cohort
Surfacing personal gifts, skills, passions, and motivations
Recognising the collective gifts present within the cohort itself
AFTERNOON (Discovering & Connecting)
Discovering Community Assets
Learning to notice and map the abundance within a local environment through an immersive, abundance-based lens.
Connecting What We Care About to Community Functions
The Role of the Connector: Understanding the attributes of those who bridge gaps, build trust, and invite others into collective action.
Exploring how to non-intrusively invite others to share their gifts and join a common cause.
The Principles of ABCD
Anchoring practice in core ABCD principles and values
Briefing for Resilience Trails
Day 2 journey overview
Setting the learning intentions for observing Assets in Action
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MORNING (Assets in Action)
Resilience Trails
Experiencing Discover, Connect, and Mobilise in real communities
Learning directly from Community Guides and Community Catalysts
Observing how assets, relationships, and action come together to spark local action and resilience.
AFTERNOON (Mobilising For Action)
Mobilising My Neighbours and Community
Turning reflection into action around what participants care about
The Smallest First Step We Could Take: Identifying immediate, collaborative actions that leverage local assets without relying on external funding.
Reviewing ABCD Concepts Learned
Consolidating key ideas and experiences from the two days
Check Out: Reflections & Closing
Individual and collective reflection on learning, confidence, and next steps
Structure & Curriculum
(2 Days)
Course Faculty
Meet the experienced community practitioners who will be facilitating the course
*Kindly note that the order of Faculty is alphabetical, and not indicative of who will be anchoring the sessions.
Mdm Ng Bee Leng
Bee Leng is a social worker by training and an official ABCD Guide accredited by Nurture Development and the ABCD Institute, Europe. With 30 years of experience working with disadvantaged communities, she is a strong advocate for asset-based community development that focuses on "what is strong" rather than "what is wrong," empowering residents to collectively improve their own lives rather than relying solely on external experts. Bee Leng frequently conducts participatory research projects within under-resourced neighbourhoods. Through this collaborative approach, she partners closely with the community to co-create and implement sustainable, community-driven solutions.
Dr Wong Sweet Fun
Dr Wong Sweet Fun is a community-centred design practitioner and healthcare innovator whose work focuses on strengthening the relationship between communities, systems, and wellbeing. Trained as a clinician, Dr Wong is widely recognised for pioneering approaches that extend care beyond institutional settings, advancing frameworks like Communities of Care that mobilise resident strengths and local assets. Her work heavily reflects Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) principles, reframing communities as active contributors to health and resilience through successful initiatives like Wellness Kampung. As a facilitator and educator, Sweet Fun brings a systems-aware perspective that bridges community practice, institutional realities, and leadership decision-making.
Mr Wilson Chan
Wilson served previously on the panel of CSC-MCCY’s Partnerships and Engagement Experts Panel (PEEP) from 2020 to 2021, and then again from 2022 to 2023, and was engaged to provide expertise in Engagement and Facilitation Strategy and Design within the Public Service. Over the years, Wilson has conducted ABCD workshops for various government organisations, including MSF, URA, CSC, and NYC. Most recently, Wilson was the lead trainer for the “Leading with Empathy” workshop for participants in the Social Sector Milestone Programme under CSC from 2024 to 2025. Wilson is a MOE-registered instructor.
Key Details
Course Fees (Lunch and refreshments included):
Organisation-sponsored Individual - $895
Learn Alongside Bundle - $2,100
Self-sponsored - We offer supported rates. Kindly see registration link below for more info (CHAS / PG / Merdeka cards)
Completion Requirement: Minimum 80% attendance
Read more about the course’s Terms & Conditions
BONUS
Community of Practice (CoP)
In addition to the 2-day ABCD Foundations course, there will be Communities of Practice (CoP) sessions offering ongoing support and opportunities for continued application of what has been learnt.
Details of the CoP will be shared with participants after the course, so please join us for the workshops to find out more!
What Our Participants Say
*Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity
“I learnt that assets are not just your typical physical assets but also human connections and interactions.”
— Simone, Resident
“My takeaway is that connection with others starts with an invitation. It helps to scope my work into perspective.”
— Wilfred, Singapore Children’s Society
“Through the workshop, I discovered that my Heart Gift is in creating safe and supportive spaces for others.”
— Nadira, Resident Volunteer
Ready to build on what’s strong?
Join fellow changemakers and start leading from within!
Sign up via the buttons below today, or contact us for more info.
We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming support and we have reached maximum capacity. If you are still keen, please join the waitlist!
