Siuslaw Vision logo - red square with white river icon in the center. Text reads Siuslaw Vision.

The Community Building Approach

Siuslaw Vision uses the Community Building Approach, developed by the Ford Family Foundation’s Rural Community Building Department and the communities with which they work. The Community Building Approach puts rural residents and local groups at the center of the process as they build their community’s future in an inclusive and comprehensive way. It is centered on four Community Building Principles:

  1. Go to where the people are
  2. Start with what you know and build on what you have
  3. Be profoundly inclusive
  4. Keep the community at the center of the work

Along with this, we use the eight Community Building Practices:

  1. Listen to Learn
  2. Come together
  3. Engage to Mobilize
  4. Develop skills and networks
  5. Plan Together
  6. Create Change
  7. Celebrate and Reflect
  8. Transform

Learn more and see examples of the Community Building Approach in action.