Articles to highlight the power of relationships
By Natalie Hamilton
Gord envisions a host of new “posAbilities” for sharing successes and solidifying relationships by harnessing the use of storytelling.
The program director for posAbilities is looking forward to showcasing achievements by uncovering the strength in relationships, which is at the heart of each success, Gord says.
The organization is working with Axiom News to launch posAbilities Today, a dynamic news program that will appear on the posAbilities website. The articles will bring posAbilities’ achievements and successes to life and demonstrate what’s possible when people work together.
“Relationships form the basis of self and community,” Gord says.
“It is relationships, not individuals, that comprise the fundamental term. Community is relationships. The self is also constituted by relationships. Were we to peer into our souls or hearts, we would not see a single self peering back at us, but we would see our family, our friends, our mentors, our colleagues. We become who we are through our relationships, and we exist not as solitary beings, but as beings in relation with others.
“We’ve got so many examples of successful projects and experiences because of (the strength) of those relationships. You can’t talk about success without talking about the relationship that made that happen.
“This is an opportunity to name them, and to be grateful for them.”
Gord adds, “We are looking for stories that remind us about the power of relationships, or that highlight characteristics of healthy, reciprocal relationships — whether it is a gesture of compassion and caring, or a synergy created around an idea or project. It is about the ‘together, we are everything: stronger, better, safer, happier, fulfilled.’ It is about what we can do together, what we can be together.”
Strong connections are also crucial for helping posAbilities create communities that not only include people who have a developmental disability but invite them to participate.
“They have rich contributions to make, and when they belong and are invited to contribute, our communities become more vibrant, beautiful and safer as a result,” he says.
Gord sees the news program as a valuable tool to engage a broader range of stakeholders and forge new connections.
“We tend to be a rather siloed sector. We need to also be thinking about our partnerships with the community,” he says.
“In forming new relationships with community, all sorts of opportunities emerge. As a sector, we need to get away from replicating community, or running parallel to it. We need to be part of it, so that the people we support can more easily flow into it and belong.”
PosAbilities Today launches today, Jan. 17. New stories will be posted each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The stories will be open for comments, allowing posAbilities to collect feedback and participate in online conversations.
The organization is also be introducing social media tools, a monthly e-newsletter and a quarterly print publication.
If you have feedback on this article, e-mail natalie(at)axiomnews.ca or call the newsroom at 800-294-0051.
