The Community Economic Development Capacity Self-Assessment Tool (the “Tool”) will engage recipient organizations of the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities and Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) in a collaborative process - consistent with community economic development principles – to self-identify and assess community strengths, assets, and areas of need related to the capacity for community economic and human resource development.

This Community Capacity Tool is a useful, easy-to-use instrument designed to:

• measure an immediate outcome of the Enabling Fund, namely the progress and/or changes over time in OLMCs’ community capacity for community economic and human resource development;
• engage Enabling Fund recipient organizations and OLMCs in a collaborative process to identify and assess community strengths, assets, and areas of need related to community economic and human resource development;
• in the longer term, contribute to the body of knowledge and research linking community capacity for community economic and human resource development to the linguistic vitality of OLMCs in Canada.

The guide outlines:

• the Tool and how it was developed;
• who should be involved in the assessment process, their roles and responsibilities;
• instructions on how to use the Tool;
• suggestions for how results of the self-assessment may be used by recipient organizations, communities, and HRSDC;
• questions and answers (Q&As); and
• a template of the Tool.

Download the Self-Assessment Tool

Table of contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
     CONTEXT
     PURPOSE
     OVERVIEW OF THE TOOL
          Linguistic vitality
          Measuring change over time
     TOOL TERMINOLOGY
          A. Community Economic Development and its dimensions
          Dimensions
          B. Community assets and asset-related themes
          C. Community capacity stages
     HOW WAS THE TOOL DEVELOPED?
          Phase 1 – Building on what was already available
          Phase 2 – Developing and piloting the first version
          Phase 3 – Developing the second version
SECTION 2: CONDUCTING THE SELF-ASSESSMENT
     WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THIS COMMUNITY SELF-ASSESSMENT PROCESS?
          Recipient organizations
          Community partners
          Facilitator
     INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE SELF-ASSESSMENT
          Completing Section 3 – Community profile
          Completing Section 4 – Capacity self-assessment
          Completing Section 5 – Summary score and visual presentation of results
          Completing Section 6 – Identifying key attributes and actions for improvement
     USE OF THE SELF-ASSESSMENT RESULTS
     Q&A
          What or who is being assessed? Is this an evaluation of individual organizations?
          How is community defined?
          How long will the assessment take?
          What is the anticipated frequency of assessments?
          How do we choose the final capacity stage for a CED dimension?
SECTION 3: COMMUNITY PROFILE
SECTION 4: CAPACITY SELF-ASSESSMENT
SECTION 5: SUMMARY OF SELF-ASSESSMENT RESULTS
     SUMMARY SELF-ASSESSMENT CAPACITY STAGE FOR 2011
     PRIORITY AREAS FOR ACTION