What We Believe In

ZOIQ is a fusion of two words. ZOI is Greek for life and IQ is the measure of relative intelligence of a person. We took these two ideas and applied them on how to live intelligently using technology relative to baseline options.

We applied this concept to the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model which is a strategy that promotes sustainable, community-driven development by focusing on existing, often overlooked assets within a community. It mobilizes individuals, associations, and institutions to leverage these assets rather than focusing on needs. ABCD links micro-assets (individual skills) to the macro-environment, creating local economic opportunities.

Key principles include recognizing that everyone has something to offer, building relationships, and engaging the community as active participants. ABCD rejects the reliance on professionals to solve problems and instead emphasizes community-driven solutions.

• Identifying gifts in every individual
• Building relationships
• Encouraging citizen-led initiatives
• Fostering motivation by listening to the community
• Engaging institutions as servants, not leaders

ABCD classifies community assets into five groups: individuals, associations, institutions, physical assets, and connections. These categories enable communities to develop by focusing on strengths rather than deficits. ZOIQ sees how technology creates a new way to connect communities together digitally so relationships, resources, and solutions can be leveraged as a hybrid layer to find solutions to local aspirations, globally.

Social capital plays a central role, referring to networks, trust, and norms within social organizations. These relationships enhance the community's capacity for collaboration, making social ties a key asset in mobilizing other resources for development. ABCD leverages these relationships as practical applications of social capital.