Until We Meet Again! The Montana Summer Institute 2015.

Wow! What a fantastic week at Big Sky for the 2015 Montana Summer Institute. I am so honored, to be able to share new insights about what I have developed from decades of research and practice and what I came to call the Positive Community Norms (PCN) framework. Over one hundred incredible leaders from around the country came together to learn and discuss the “Growing Positive Community Norms,” as they work tirelessly to increase the health and safety of their communities. Whether we work across an entire state, a tribal nation, or with a specific group we learned new ways to apply the Science of the Positive process and the positive community norms framework. We delved deep into norms science with Norms-A-Palooza; engaged in advanced norms science through the lens of the Science of the Positive’s 7 Core Principles; focused on statewide implications and opportunities for positive community norms within an ever-changing environment of marijuana legalization; experienced data from a national positive community norms study related to child abuse; and participated in the sharing of leadership wisdom from a Navajo perspective. We had a record number of Native American leaders who attended the institute and shared their experiences of how the Science of the Positive process is consistent with medicine wheels of different indigenous cultures – that the process of SPIRIT-SCIENCE-ACTION-RETURN honors many native traditions. Once again we took time to reflect, interact and plan on how to incorporate the latest findings and best practices from scientists and practitioners from across North America; saving time, of course, for hiking, zip-lining and seeing a record number of bears and moose. And thank you to all who shared the emergency shelter up on Lone Peak when the lightning and hail storm forced us into an unplanned group activity! I am grateful to all of you who traveled to Montana for this event. You challenged me, inspired me and have me planning for next year’s institute.

Happy Trails ...Until We Meet Again.  

(Photos courtesy of Dr. Derek Franklin)