As I reflect upon my time in Nicaragua, I believe that my Global Brigades experience was centered upon the asset-based community development (ABCD) model suggested by Kretzman & McKnight in their article Basic Guide to ABCD Community Organizing. The ABCD model describes a community as a group of individuals with different assets, gifts, and skills that come together through several associations to create a combined culture with mutual goals and understanding of the community’s needs. What really sticks with me about this ABCD model is the idea that everyone has assets to give, and everyone should be willing to receive and incorporate these assets into a productive community. I believe I saw the ABCD model within the group of brigaders I went with as well as in our interaction with the community members in Nicaragua.

When my group first met at the airport, I maybe knew four other people going on the trip. Some people were acquaintances, others were just people I have heard of, but mostly strangers to me. It was crazy how we were all going on this trip to a foreign country and would have to spend nine whole days working together. However, this random group of people went from being strangers to one of the best set of individuals I have ever come across and I am thankful to say I know them. The bond I have with the people on my brigade is unlike any other. My life changed when I went on my brigade, but all of our lives changed together.

We applied the ABCD model to our group dynamic by trying to figure out where everyone’s place was when it came to the duties everyone had. If someone was particularly good at speaking Spanish, he or she worked near medical history to help translate or they worked in the pharmacy to help explain to community members how often to take certain medicine. If someone knew how to take blood pressure, he or she went to triage. If someone was good with children, he or she went to Charla to help the kids learn how to brush their teeth. There was always a place for someone, and in the end it worked to our advantage in providing the best help and care we could for the people of Nicaragua.

Not only did we see this model in ourselves, we also saw it with the community members. In the medical portion of the brigade, there was a pharmacist that was very busy for most of the day. She realized one of brigaders, Bobby, was particularly good at working in the pharmacy, and made him an assistant when it came to passing out medicine. Additionally, she saw his organizational skills and assigned him to keep record of what medicines were given out to what families. As for our public health portion of the brigade, there were several construction workers from Nicaragua who were also helping us. They were receptive to help from “outsiders” and realized the assets we brought to improving a family’s home. We worked together as one community to better the lives of a particular family. Some were detail oriented help lay the bricks down for a latrine or the septic tank. Those who had strong physical abilities helped mix the cement and lay down the floor in the home. These physical improvements were not the only end results of our work. We created a community and branched the divide between our two worlds and came together to work on the same level. They realized how we could help them, and we realized how they helped us.

The ABCD model also talks about connectors. These are people who seek to create new relationships. They realize associations between people are powerful things because they create a stronger community. They bridge the gap between the two and help everyone realize how we can help one another. The most important connectors I saw on our brigade were our brigade leaders and translators from Nicaragua. Our two translators, Eli and Katherine, were kind of shy at first. However, they opened up to us very quickly when we invited them to hang out with us while packing medicine or on our long bus rides. Eli told us the story about how he met his wife and how much he loved her. Katherine would talk about her dreams of coming to the United States. They opened themselves up to us and in return we expressed our fears and excitements we had about our trip. We both realized how much each of us wanted to be there, and as a result, a strong bond was created between all of us.

Our brigade leader, Jorge, is one of the goofiest people I have ever met. He was also an essential connector on our trip. He would joke around with us all the time and always had a story to tell. Jorge not only led our group discussions and reflections, but he also would take the time to introduce us to the families we were helping. Jorge did not view us as outsiders, but he saw us as people who could bring our talents and gifts to create something great. He helped community members also realize we were not outsiders and gave us the opportunity to show our gifts to everyone. He participated in our group of brigaders as much as he participated in the Nicaraguan community. He danced with all of us, helped us play pranks on each other, and became a friend to everyone there.

We would not have been able to make strong associations without these connectors. However, the connectors had to see different assets in both groups of people to bring us together. In our group of brigaders, we obviously had the supplies and resources to help the people of Nicaragua. However, we also brought enthusiasm, willingness to work, and open ears to listen. These characteristics as well as the individual skills of everyone in our group helped us build community and care for the Nicaraguan people. Besides our skills, the community members of Nicaragua also had assets that contributed to the formation of a well-balanced community. They brought to the table their labor skills, openness to help, patience, love, and gratitude. The combination of all these assets helped us come together and work towards a common goal. Our mutual understanding of the issues at hand helped us collaborate to fix every problem we could.

My brigade and the Nicaraguan people helped me in more ways than one. If I didn’t think I benefited from this trip, I would not be going back again as a leader in January. As my brigade came to a close, I realized how much I had learned. I broadened my horizons and became more aware of my role as a global citizen and the responsibility I had to give back to anyone that inhabits this earth. These people helped me with my patience, they challenged me to be a better person, and most importantly, they showed me how to love everyone I come across.

According to the ABCD model, a community is a group of specially related people. The community between our brigade and the Nicaraguan people created a bond. We are a specially related group of people. We recognized everyone’s gifts, we applied them to our work, and in the end we not only achieved a greater good by helping one another, but we created a special connection and community. We started out as two separate groups but created a culture that incorporated both our backgrounds. Global Brigades gave us the opportunity to create this amazing culture and I beyond thankful for the chance it gave me to connect with other people on a whole new level.