So what happens now? We have bid our goodbyes and are now back in our own realities, and the “magic of CLI” can quickly fade among the daily routines and challenges that we all face. What will we do to keep in touch with that magic, and keep the positive energy alive?
There was a lot of learning that went on in those four days, and one huge thing we learned is knowing that we are all connected through the ROC USA Network. There are people, resources and support available to everyone living in ROCs to help you build strong communities. The question is, how will we work together to keep the energy and ideas of CLI active each day?
Let’s start with staying connected. Share your ideas, challenges and successes with each other. On myROCUSA.org go “ROC Talk” and on Facebook go to www.facebook.com/rocusa.bettertogether to share your stories. Just think about how much positive energy and great ideas were generated from the 48 ROC Leaders in Columbus last week, and then think about how much potential there is among the almost 12,000 people living in Resident Owned Communities across the country. We are all part of a network of people who are working together to make your communities great places to live.
We have a saying at ROC USA: “The positive always defeats the negative.” I believe that. The negative can only win if we, the positive ones, give up, and giving up is not an option. So let’s work together to spread our positivity, tell our stories, collaborate to solve problems, and share our learning. Then maybe some of that CLI magic will stay alive each day in our communities. And once we learn to keep it alive in our own lives, then we can begin to share it with others and bring them into a world of hope and solutions!
Gary Faucher is the National Training Manager for ROC USA Network and former technical assistance provider at ROC-NH. Contact him at gfaucher@rocusa.org.