LAMP (Love Asset Mapping Partnership)

Comparing Maps

LAMP (Love Asset Mapping Partnership) is is an “asset-based” process that engages a range of people in the community to identify what is already working, where good is happening, how love is being expressed, what is beautiful. Faith communities are a core group in the process, but LAMP pulls in community members, service providers, and other stakeholders to create a picture of the community and how it functions. We learned about this process from colleagues in Southern Africa who developed it to help governments see how people of faith were already tending to those with HIV/AIDS in their communities. Since it was first used in 2006, this process has been used throughout the world to quickly and effectively get communities talking to each other and moving forward to take action together.

Reviewing Results

LAMP Workshops provide a way for communities to make visible what is alive and working in their communities and create concrete steps to build and expand those spiritually powerful assets.

LAMP Workshops help participants quickly get to the heart of an issue and build consensus about how to move forward.

LAMP Workshops bring new voices to the table, generate energy, surface critical issues, and identify powerful assets for improving community health and well-being.

LAMP Workshops are a good option if:

• You are in a planning process
• You want to engage new partners
• You want to work with faith partners in a new way
• You want to take a project in a new direction but aren’t sure how to focus
• You want to do a community assessment that is participatory and interactive

The Center will work with you and your group to design a process that best fits your needs and resources. The elements of the LAMP process include:

Workshop 1:  Community Members

This workshop brings together 20-30 community members, such as single parents, youth, block club leaders, elders, men, women, members of diverse faith groups, etc.  Ideally this group should be diverse, and should include people who may not normally be at the table.

Workshop 2:  Service Providers

The Service Providers group is for anyone who provides a service in the community. This could include businesses like barbershops and restaurants, social services, political groups, schools, or park districts, etc. The Health Provider’s group is for 20-30 participants.

Workshop 3:  Faith Leaders

The Faith Leaders group is made up of pastors, rabbis, imams, priests, etc..  The Faith Leader’s workshop should bring together leaders from across the diversity of the community’s spiritual traditions.

Workshop 4:  Reporting, Consensus and Action

The fourth workshop brings everyone together to receive a report from all three group processes, see where there is overlap and where there are gaps, and form an action plan.

Workshop Activities

All workshops include activities such as:

• Mapping existing community assets
• Reflecting on community history and context
• Indexing and ranking health issues and forces for wellness
• Creating a common list of “exemplars”—groups or initiatives that exemplify powerful faith-based activity in the community
• Identifying key areas for action

All workshops are designed to be all-day meetings from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but can be adapted to be shorter if needed.

Contact us for more information at kirsten.peachey@aah.org.