Appreciative Planning and ActionAppreciative Planning and Action (APA) is a capacity building approach that builds on strengths and assets and identifies collective hopes and dreams to create an empowering vision of the future that leads to action for organizations, groups and communities. Through the APA approach, women discover and learn to trust their own knowledge and expertise, as well as their networks with other women's groups. This approach motivates and encourages people, rather than having them become dependent on outside resources. Women discover what it is inside them that they can be proud of and reflect upon a time that they positively affected the life of another. Drawing upon this positive experience, they dream about the future of their community as they design a plan to create this change and deliver their plan by choosing concrete steps that they can act upon immediately. Building on this approach, success stories about women's businesses and social actions are included in newsletters and disseminated through the WORTH networks. These stories provide an ongoing source of energy that helps groups, NGOs, and WORTH staff overcome obstacles and turn problems into learning opportunities. For more information on Appreciative Inquiry and Appreciative Action and Planning, please see the Appreciative Inquiry Commons: http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu/ |
