Online resources have the capability to be symbiotic.

In preparation for a webinar I will facilitate next month, I did an Internet search for “online resources for college students.” Google came back with nearly three billion. Billion. That’ll take a day or two (or billion) to sort through. When I narrowed the search to “online wellbeing resources for college students,” the number dropped to “only” 260 million.

Where does one start and how does one choose?

I recognize that my webinar audience will bring a wide array of experiences identifying online resources for their students. So much depends on the particular school, majors, and student population. To provide what I believe to be The Top 10 (or 15 or 100) online resources would be subjective, narrow, and (more than likely) redundant.

So I have focused on presenting an organizing rubric that looks at who does the sharing of a resource—and why. Who is the provider of the information or skill? In each case a ray of light can be shared with the world from three perspectives.

• A person, a group, an entity shares a resource that will make our world/our space a better place. This resource helps us learn, grow, and adapt to a challenge.  I have chosen to label this exchange as THEY SHARE.
• There a times we share, rather than receive, a resource with the world and we help those recipients learn, grow, and adapt to a challenge.  I call this WE SHARE.
• The third form of sharing involves mutualism where both the giver and receiver benefit. We put something out into the universe with the hope that someone will take/use it and then create something of their own with what we have shared. We both have an opportunity to learn, grow, and adapt. This is WE SHARE so THEY can SHARE.

Examples.

1. THEY SHARE. This is what we think of the Internet doing daily: Sharing resources. Billions of online resources.  “They” want to share something with you. When a college/university shares a resource (like a virtual student center) that is an example of THEY SHARE. The college (They) share their online resources or it acts as a curator for other THEY resources. When we look for THEY resources we start with a need we have—and THEY (hopefully) provide assets to help our exigency.
   1. Examples include community activists, fitness trainers, yogis, meditation leaders, spiritual congregations, grief groups, improv troupes, and musicians.
   2. How can we help our students, friends, family, and ourselves find THEY resources that exist in their communities?
2. WE SHARE. This looks at giving back to our community. When WE SHARE, we provide our creations to the community for its betterment. In this situation, we look for (or provide) a platform to provide light to a broader group.
   1. Examples include people who share their photography, music, or poetry. Blogs and videos provide opportunities for us to contribute to others. We focus on giving.
   2. How can students, friends, family, and ourselves become resources for their communities?
3. WE SHARE so THEY can SHARE. This combines the above two categories. First WE share a skill, talent, or other resource to a larger group with expressed purpose of helping them develop something. That is, THEY (that larger group; the broader community) can then build on what we share so they can share something with their community. JR the Artist, as an example, uses his skills in this way.
   1. I have recorded fifty podcasts with people from various walks of life. When people tune into each episode that is an example of THEY share. The listening audience has found a resource (the podcasts represent the THEY in this case) to meet a need or address a curiosity within them. If I use my podcasting skills to help a hospice patient record her/his final thoughts about life so that the family can have that memory, then I have used a talent of mine to help another being pass along (share) memories, lessons, and desires they possess.
   2. How can students, friends, family, and ourselves share our creativity to help others share their creativity and lessons?

Online resources have the capability to be symbiotic. What do we do to help nurture that relationship?

Video recommendation for the week:

Roxie, my canine companion, and I have been certified as a pet therapy team. In that capacity we visit our local hospital, hospice, schools, and airport to bring comfort to others. Once the COVID-19 lockdowns came about, our visits ended.  So, we went online. Roxie and I created a video that we shared with the local hospital’s nurses and staff. An example of WE SHARE.

Make it a great week and HTRB has needed.

My new book has been released.
eBook ($2.99) Paperback ($9.99). Click here.

Roxie Looks for Purpose Beyond the Biscuit.

Well, actually, my dog Roxie gets top billing on the author page for this work. Without her, there would be no story.
Click here for more information about the book.

In the meantime, check out her blog.

And you can still order:

• My book, Community as a Safe Place to Land (2019), (print and e-book) is available on More information (including seven free podcast episodes that spotlight the seven core values highlighted in the book) at www.stevepiscitelli.com.
• Check out my book Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island (2017). It has been adopted for teaching, learning, and coaching purposes. I conducted (September 2019) a half-day workshop for a community college’s new faculty onboarding program using the scenarios in this book. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same. 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®.

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

©2020. Steve Piscitelli
The Growth and Resilience Network®