This week’s blog post draws on the third core value from
Community as a Safe Place to Land (2019):  Discover and use RESOURCES to increase chances for progress, growth, learning, and connections.

“Knowledge is power.”  But if acquired knowledge is not used or if it is inapplicable to the issue at hand, does it still have power? It might possess potential power. But it loses value if not used.

I often told my students that college offered them more resources than they probably would ever see again in one place. But they had to do three things: Find them. Learn about them. Use them.

Think of the communities to which you belong. A spiritual community. A residential neighborhood.  An athletic team.  A walking group. A youth organization.  A campus service club.

Each of these communities has resources for its members. Sources of support for connection, growth, and resilience. Your group might have an abundance of resources while other communities have a diminished basket of support from which to draw.

Think of a dynamic community to which you belong. In what ways do the resources in that community contribute to its growth and resilience? Do members use them? More importantly, how do members create and maximize collisions between resources and people so even more people will benefit?

Now, think of a community struggling to maintain its cohesiveness. When it comes to resources, what does it lack? What is being done to gather those resources?  Is there a leader (a resource in and of itself) to coordinate the needed resources?

Your Two-Part Call-to-Action

• First, consider a challenge your community faces at this moment. Why does the challenge exist? Is it because of a lack of resources, a failure to use existing resources, a breakdown of resources, or some other factor related to resources?
• Next, develop a list of resources that could address the identified challenge. Which of the resources does your community have? Which does it need to develop? Which exist and need tweaking to make them more effective? How do you know? What is your next step?

In order to grow and maintain a sustainable community, you need knowledge about what it needs to grow. Then you need to do something with that knowledge. That takes vigilance, questions, and leadership. What do you need to be more aware of in your community?

Podcast Recommendation of the Week

This short clip reminds us of the importance of listening when developing a program and its resources.

My book,
Community as a Safe Place to Land,
has been released! At this point, you can purchase it on Amazon. More purchasing options coming. More information at www.stevepiscitelli.com.

Make it an inspiring and grateful week and H.T.R.B. as needed.

You can still order my book Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island (2017), by clicking here. Another university recently (January 2019) adopted it for training and coaching purposes. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same.

The paperback price on Amazon is now $12.00 and the Kindle version stands at $3.99. Consider it for a faculty orientation or a mentoring program. The accompanying videos would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.

My podcasts can be found at The Growth and Resilience Network® (http://stevepiscitelli.com/media-broadcast/podcast).

You will find more about what I do at www.stevepiscitelli.com.

©2019. Steve Piscitelli
The Growth and Resilience Network®