The Rock Cheltenham’s Post

What we need is not more DEI initiatives… 8 years ago, I could never have imagined staying in this community. 🚩 Didn’t know anyone. 🚩 Stuck out like a sore thumb. 🚩 Dealt with my own fair share of discrimination. But somehow, I stayed. Ten years later, I’m still here and proudly choosing to! Communities don’t develop themselves—people develop communities. When people become intentional about each other, we end up with a place more people desire to be a part of. At our core, we desire to connect but don’t always know how. 🚩 Caution, fear, uncertainty are some of the words that limit our ability to connect with one another. ✅ Awareness, exposure, openness, vulnerability are words that bring people together and help us grow relationships. In my experience, developing real working relationships and feeling like I belong only took a matter of landing in a work environment where I began to encounter the right group of people. They did not know it all but they treated me like I was them. That is very easily what kept me in this community until I found a bigger purpose—helping the people in our community and workforce connect and develop real relationships. Every 4-6 weeks, I along with other amazing facilitators spend a full day teaching cultural competency. It’s been a wild ride and it only gets better. Springfield is well positioned for this. culturalcompetency-utp.com #culturalcompetency #community #workforcedevelopment #springfieldmo #southwestmissouri

At SLIF, Jill Vitale-Aussem shared powerful insights on how to create a more inclusive and empowering culture within senior living communities. Her key message? Transformation begins with conversation. Jill emphasized that no one ever says, "I don't want people to feel like they belong here." Yet, fostering a true sense of belonging requires intentional effort. The first step is to start asking questions and involving more people in decision-making processes. As Jill put it, "Better decisions are made when you involve more people." When communities become more open and accepting, the outcomes are remarkable. Residents start to own the ideas and become more inclusive. There's a shift from "me" to "we," from feeling entitled to feeling empowered, and from focusing on individual rights to embracing shared responsibilities. Limited beliefs fall away, and a stronger, more vibrant community emerges. https://hubs.li/Q02Bbd150

Creating inclusive and vibrant civic programs, services, and spaces is essential to fostering a sense of community belonging. Understanding the difference between groups and communities in parks and recreation is crucial to achieving this goal. While groups often have strict norms and status structures, communities flourish through diversity, cooperation, and shared values. Our parks and recreational services are crucial in nurturing genuine connections among our community members. Your programs and spaces are more than physical locations and skill-building endeavors; they are environments and interactions championing inclusivity and mutual support. By emphasizing these values, we enhance the experiences of all individuals involved and foster a deep sense of belonging for everyone. To paraphrase the CPRS VIP Vision Statement from years past: WE [FOSTER] COMMUNITY [BELONGING] THROUGH PEOPLE, PARKS, AND PROGRAMS! HOW DOES YOUR AGENCY FOSTER BELONGING? I'm interested in hearing more about it! #CommunityBuilding #ParksAndRecreation #SenseOfBelonging #Inclusion This post draws on insights from Shanna B. Tiayon's article 'Do You Find Belonging in Groups or Communities?' on the difference between groups and communities: https://lnkd.in/g2hQPZy4

I’ve joined a few paid communities and they were AWFUL. Not gonna lie. People just complaining or bonding over complaints. An all women’s community that was just bashing men. People full of self-promotion . People not really appreciating the value of peer collaboration and accountability. Listening to respond not listening to understand. But at its core the idea of communities, of peer groups, advisories, mentoring…. It’s about learning from others, fostering relationships, accountability. So tell me… what are some GOOD paid communities out there that get the concept of collaboration and support to help achieve goals or learn. Enough of the negative.. let’s hear about the good ones. Any ideas? Be a good human. #community #relationships #peerleadership

Every individual has unique talents, skills, cultural heritage, experiences, beliefs, and values. Because of those qualities, each person tends to learn different things from the experience of getting engaged in community issues. While it is important for each person to contribute, it is equally important to recognize, appreciate, and utilize his or her strengths. This will enable participants to see the ways in which their views and opinions are handled. Please don't waste any minute for individuals to get ready,engagement starts now. #communitybuilding #opinions #uniqueexperiences

This Pride Month, let's explore the power of belonging in our diverse communities. 1️⃣ Unity in Diversity: Our community's strength lies in its diversity. Embracing each individual's unique identity enriches our collective experience. 🌈 This Pride Month, let's affirm our commitment to fostering a community where every voice is valued and every identity is celebrated. 2️⃣ Building Trust: Trust forms the bedrock of inclusivity. By dismantling the barriers of fear and prejudice, we create a more secure and accepting environment for all. 🌈 This month, let us strive to deepen our understanding and expand our acceptance, ensuring that everyone in our community feels genuinely supported. 3️⃣ Opportunity in Crisis: During times of crisis, the diverse perspectives within our community become invaluable. By leveraging our varied experiences, we can discover innovative solutions and build resilience. 🌈 This month, let's harness our collective differences as a source of strength and opportunity. How do you celebrate belonging in your community?

Every day, I take a walk through the forests or along the fjords, and it’s always a chance to meet new people and practice my Norwegian. Today, I was stopped by this furry joy and his two young friends selling lemonade. 🐾🍋 This encounter made me reflect on the importance of cultivating a trusting #society—one where children can safely explore, engage with others, and enjoy their innocence. Especially in #communities where people come from different backgrounds and #cultures, fostering this kind of environment is key to building strong, healthy relationships. Here are a few ways we can cultivate these relationships in our communities: 📍Embrace #Diversity: Acknowledge and celebrate the different cultures, languages, and traditions within your community. This creates an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. 📍Encourage #OpenCommunication: Create spaces where people can share their experiences and perspectives. Listening with empathy and without judgment helps build trust and understanding across cultural lines. 📍Lead by Example: Demonstrate #kindness, #respect, and #curiosity in your interactions. When adults model these behaviors, children learn to approach others with the same mindset. 📍Support Community Initiatives: #Getinvolved in local events or activities that bring people together. These shared experiences help bridge gaps and strengthen the social fabric of the community. 📍Create #SafeSpaces for Children: Ensure that public spaces are safe and welcoming for children to explore and interact. This not only supports their development but also helps build a sense of community security. By prioritizing trust, safety, and inclusivity, we empower our children to grow up in a world where they can thrive, and in turn, become the empathetic, responsible leaders of tomorrow. 🌍💚 #LeadershipDevelopment #CommunityBuilding #CulturalDiversity #InclusionMatters #TrustInCommunity #ChildhoodInnocence #FutureLeaders #Empathy #SafeCommunities #PositiveRelationships

👋Creating welcoming spaces where people feel they belong is critical to community vitality and sustained economic growth. We must complement metrics with a compelling narrative that appeals to emotions and core values. 👉 Learn more about the Social Inclusion Lexicon: https://lnkd.in/eG42r9dk

Best practice means inclusion at home in the community. That means your child is fully included and participates meaningfully in home and community life, with additional supports as needed, creating a real sense of belonging. How do you work inclusion at home and in the community into your practice?

How we support volunteers in their roles can really differ, depending on the type of work they're doing and the responsibilities they have. In this episode of Volunteer Leaders in Action, I talk with Julie Ugoretz, a social worker living in Brooklyn and working in NYC at SAGE, where they manage a Friendly Visitor Program for LGBTQ+ elders.   I heard Julie speak at a webinar over the summer, and was so impressed with the robust and intentional training, support and supervision they offer to volunteers - I knew I wanted talk more with Julie about their approach.   In this rich conversation we learn how Julie approaches setting volunteers up for success, and how her background in social work helps her do that. Julie and her team do this by:   ➡ making sure that volunteers are "not alone in the work" even though they see elders 1:1 in their homes.    ➡ preparing volunteers well with a robust full-day training. Training involves important historical and contextual considerations, as well as a slew of critical skills like empathy building, listening skills, role plays, and hearing from a current volunteer.   ➡ providing support early on in volunteer matches. Julie and her team connect with the client and the volunteer by phone after the first visit.  We also learn about a variety of ways that support and supervision are offered to volunteers – from peer supervision meetings, which are a core of the program, to opportunities for 1:1 check-ins when volunteers need additional support from staff, and encouraging peer support between volunteers. The fact that there's a lot of longevity with the volunteers in the program, and that many of them continue to attend peer supervision meetings, even after the first year with the program (when meetings are mandatory) is a great sign of the value of these supervision opportunities.   💡 A couple factors that work well during team check-ins:  ❓ Use broad-open-ended questions to check-in.  What's going on?     What's going well   Is there anything that concerns you with your match?   🔎 Provide opportunities for skill-building on specific topics.  👥 Encourage volunteers to use each other as resources – Julie shared that volunteers have "gone through it" in a way that they haven't as a staff supervisor.   🎉 Build in fun, connection and celebration. The team gathers for holiday and pride parties, and special events like drag bingo – all of which offer opportunities for volunteers and clients to make informal, friendly connections.   Julie also shares some valuable guidance about how she captures volunteer hours – a notoriously tricky task for volunteer managers.    https://lnkd.in/dZwMujB4