What does “having a community” mean to you? How did you find yours?

<p>I have always been interested in how communities are created and how to find those that really fit me. I have been part of groups where I didn’t really fit in that well and there have been others where I felt accepted and my skills were used to their fullest without me feeling like I was being taken advantage of.</p> <p> </p> <p>I wondered what being part of a community meant to other people so – I asked.</p> <p> </p> <p>Mohan Ananda started us off by defining community – “A group of people with similar interests from the same interest or same background” and then reminding us that sometimes communities have conflict and you have to be willing to work through that with kindness and patience.</p> <p> </p> <p>Rick Alcantara added that what community means to you is fluid and can change over time. When you are young it might be the people who live in the same vicinity as you.</p> <p> </p> <p>As we become adults, we become members of lots of different communities. Some that overlap and some that are completely unique to each other.</p> <p> </p> <p>There is also the idea of building an online community through social media engagement. </p> <p> </p> <p>Philip Tate shared that being involved in lots of different communities allows him to be curious and learn from all kinds of different people.</p> <p> </p> <p>There were a few suggestions for finding your community – join interest groups, go to events and talk to the person who looks like they don’t have anyone to talk to, ask for referrals from people you know. Online it only takes a quick search to find a group about anything.</p> <p> </p> <p>What does community mean to you and how did you or do you find yours?</p> <p> </p> <p>Connect with the panelists:</p> <p>Philip Tate: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philiptateaprfellowprsa/</p> <p>Dr. Mohan Ananda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohanananda/</p> <p>Rick Alcantara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickalcantara/  </p> <p> </p> <p>Dr Robyn Odegaard: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/'>https://www.linkedin.c