The Summer Institute Agenda is HERE!

The 2024 Institute is shaping up to be our best yet. Our agenda includes compelling norms science, inspiring leadership sessions, and actionable information on Positive Community Norms best practices that will help you increase health and safety in your community.

The 2024 event will feature presentations by: 

• Dr. Jason Kilmer of the University of Washington

• Dr. Christina Bethell of Johns Hopkins University

• Dr. Stacey Litam of Cleveland State University

• And of course, Dr. Jeff Linkenbach and The Montana Institute Training Team.

We hope you will join us in person or online. Click here to view the full agenda.

2024 Montana Winter Institute Highlights!

There is no way to encapsulate all of the learning, data, wisdom and inspiration that was shared shared by our 2024 speakers in one short video-- but we are going to try! Watch this two-minute highlight video for some key moments and ahas. You can register to watch the replay of the entire five hours of sessions at The Montana Institute Online Academy.

Many of these same leaders — plus some exciting new faces! — will be on the faculty of our upcoming 2024 Montana Summer Institute. Click here to learn more.

Here’s a recap of the session lineup:

☼ Session 1 – Carla Ritz, Managing Director of The Montana Institute. The Science of the Positive and How Positive Experiences Increase Health

 ☼ Session 2 – Ali Crandall, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Public Health at Brigham Young University. The Latest Research on Positive Adult Experiences and Mental Health

☼ Session 3 – Sara Thompson, Director of Training and Communications and Jeff Linkenbach, Founding Director of The Montana Institute. How Positive Community Norms Can Increase Positive Experiences -- and Why it Matters

☼ Session 4 – Yvonne Jackson, MBA, CEO of SocialEDG. Positive Experiences and Equity: How EDI and Joy Can and Must Coexist

☼ Session 5 – Christina Bethell, PhD, MPH, MBA, Director, Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative and Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. We Are the Medicine: Building Relational Systems of Care to Promote the Early and Lifelong Flourishing of Children and Families

Join a free BIGNEXT Community Conversation with Dr. Jeff Linkenbach on November 8th at 2:00pm EST

The BIGNEXT is an ongoing journey for leaders seeking to rekindle their passion and purpose in service of others and community.

The BIGNEXT creates opportunities to explore your emerging reality and to experience ‘self’ as an instrument of change. As participants navigate BIGNEXT wisdom waypoints, they LEARN what supports (and distracts from) the deeper calling of their leadership journey.

Through reflective praxis, participants examine their attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions regarding leadership and use this wisdom as a basis to LEAD others on their own authentic path.

During this FREE 50 minute BIGNEXT Community Conversation, we will explore and explain: 

• Upcoming BIGNEXT Leadership Development Workshops and Courses

• BIGNEXT Leadership Coaching (group and individual coaching)

• Other ways to explore your BIGNEXT

Participants will also hear from current BIGNEXT Leaders who will share their own BIGNEXT experiences. 

Click here to sign up for the Community Conversation on Wednesday, November 8th at 2:00pm EST.

Art and the Science of the Positive Are Meant to Be Shared

The evidence of a dose-response relationship between Positive Childhood Experiences and a reduced risk of a growing number of identified negative health outcomes in adulthood, effectively serving as a buffer to ACEs, is one of the most exciting areas of research that I have witnessed in my career, and it is what led me to the Montana Summer Institute.

From June 20th to the 23rd, among the soaring mountains and budding wildflowers of Big Sky, Montana, more than 300 people from 30 different U.S. States gathered together, as they have done for 20 years, for the Montana Summer Institute (MSI) to explore this year’s conference theme of The Paradox of the Positive: Preventing Harm by Promoting Health. With the largest attendance in the history of this annual flagship event of The Montana Institute, the energy was heightened, and the sense of possibility loomed large from start to finish.

MSI is unique in many ways. One of most striking differences from traditional trade-based conferences is that attendees not only come from across the country, but they also represent a full spectrum of prevention work. Attendees’ day jobs and passion projects include working toward the prevention of child abuse, youth substance use, suicide, traffic fatalities, mental health crises, persistent poverty, domestic violence, overdose, and injustices related to sexuality, gender, race, and more. The common thread that brings these prevention champions together for MSI is their interest in adopting an approach of uncovering and growing the good in individuals, families, schools, workplaces, communities, environments, and systems as a proven strategy toward reducing harm.

Many MSI attendees have experience working in systems that have a history of approaching prevention from a deficit-based model, elevating and magnifying the very real problems that exist in society with the idea that, “If people only knew how bad this was, they would do something about it.” They’ve been working hard to raise awareness of problems for many years, and they are tired. They are sometimes nearing burn out, and they are looking for a different path forward. The Science of the Positive has provided that path for many, including myself.

The Science of the Positive is the study of how positive factors impact culture and experience. It focuses on how to measure and grow the positive, and has been applied over decades with agencies, communities, and businesses. It is based on the core assumption that the positive is real and is worth growing – in ourselves, our families, our workplaces, and our communities (Linkenbach, 2007). Those of us who work as health and safety professionals can sometimes become so focused on the dangers and problems we are trying to decrease that we forget this core truth. The Science of the Positive reverses the problem-centered frame, and focuses on growing the healthy, positive, protective factors that already exist in our communities. When we start to look at the world through this positive, hopeful lens, it has a profound impact on the questions we ask, the data we collect, and the way we address health and safety issues.

As a former executive director for First 5 Lake County in Northern California, this is exactly the approach I didn’t know I was looking for when I first reached out to Dr. Bob Sege at Tufts University Medical Center and the HOPE National Resource Center to learn more about the Building Blocks of HOPE as a tool for promoting PCEs in our early childhood work. The more questions I asked, the more questions I had about how to not only embrace the four building blocks, but also to scale this strengths-based approach beyond early childhood applications to a community-wide approach to positive prevention. Dr. Sege directed me to the founder of the Science of the Positive, Dr. Jeff Linkenbach, with whom I am now honored to work in my role as the director of special projects at The Montana Institute.

At each year’s Summer Institute, the attendees come, just like I did, to learn from knowledgeable and experienced faculty about how to apply the Science of the Positive and Positive Community Norms frameworks in the places where they live and work, and they leave inspired. This year, The Montana Institute invested in bringing photographer and founder of A Peace of My Mind, John Noltner, to Big Sky as artist-in-residence, and the images he captured of our attendees and faculty alongside their answers to the question, “When have you grown the Positive?” magnified that inspiration even further.

This community of PACES advocates and professionals is filled with people, just like our MSI attendees, who are uncovering and growing the Positive every day. I thought you might like to see the faces and hear the thoughts of some of your contemporaries across the United States, and gain strength and encouragement from the beauty of their faces and words, and the knowledge that you are not alone.  Both art and the Science of the Positive are meant to be shared!

Positive Community Norms and the CDC’s Essentials for Childhood

Is your organization or one of your partners submitting an application for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) funding opportunity, “Essentials for Childhood (EfC): Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences through Data to Action? Do you have a current EfC grant, or are you implementing EfC in your work?

One of the key strategies promoted by the CDC for reducing ACEs and increasing Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) is “Promoting Social Norms that Protect Against Violence and Adversity." The Montana Institute has been providing training and technical assistance to local, county, state, regional and national leaders in Positive Community Norms (PCN) and the Science of the Positive frameworks for nearly 20 years, and we stand ready to help you and your partners in this important work. The core assumption of the Science of the Positive is that the positive exists and it is worth growing in ourselves and our communities. The evidence-based PCN framework focuses on uncovering the norms of PCEs and positive parenting practices that already exist in your community, measuring gaps in people’s perceptions of these norms, and challenging misperceptions to increase PCEs and improve health and wellbeing across the lifespan.

For more information about how The Montana Institute can provide training and technical assistance in support of your work increasing PCEs, growing transformational leaders in this field, and promoting health and safety for children and families, please reach out to Carla Ritz.

New publication on vaping norms and misperceptions

TMI Founding Director Dr. Jeff Linkenbach was lead author on an article published in Substance Use & Misuse on vaping norms and perceptions. The article used data from TMI’s longstanding Positive Community Norms project run in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Key findings include:

"The more frequently high school students believed most students in their school used e-cigarettes, the more likely they were to report past 30-day e-cigarette use. Further, the more they perceived that their peers approved of (or did not disapprove of) e-cigarette use, the more likely they were to report past 30-day use as well."

"Although most (57.8%) had never vaped or used e-cigarettes, only 8.1% of participants correctly estimated that most students do not engage in this use. In fact, the misperceptions were pronounced; 57.2% perceived that most students use daily. Students who thought most of their peers were vaping “daily” or “once a week” were 5.99 and 2.99 times more likely to have used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days respectively, compared to those who thought their peers were “Never” vaping or using e-cigarettes."

You can read the abstract and learn more here.

The Montana Winter Institute on Diversity, Inclusion & The Science of the Positive

We are excited to announce our first-ever winter Institute, a remote series that will explore issues around diversity, inclusion, and The Science of the Positive. A sense of belonging is a basic human need and is considered one of the key Positive Childhood Experiences that lead to better health outcomes in adulthood. This sense of belonging takes root when diversity is honored and welcomed, and inclusion is highly valued. This is work we are prioritizing at The Montana Institute, and we hope you will join us online for an hour each day, January 23rd-27th, as we learn from an esteemed group of leaders and scientists about their research and experiences at the intersection of diversity, inclusion and prevention.

Speakers and Topics:

Monday, Jan. 23rd – Adair Mosely, “Positive Norms and Hope in Hard Places"

Adair is the CEO of the African American Leadership Forum, and the former president and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities in Minneapolis. Adair is recognized as a passionate change-maker and relentless strategic innovator. Over the course of his leadership journey, he has demonstrated radical and inclusive solutions to the community’s most urgent needs, co-created with people most affected.

Tuesday, Jan. 24th – Liza Talusan, PhD, “A DEI & Justice Primer for Prevention Professionals Applying Positive Community Norms”

Liza is an engaging facilitator in conversations about diversity, anti-racism, bias, privilege and power and creates environments that allow for people to discuss these difficult topics openly. Through her direct work with organizational leaders, staff, students, teachers, and communities, Liza empowers individuals to create a more inclusive organization, environment, community and team.

Wednesday, Jan. 25th – Briana, Woods-Jaeger, PhD, “Structural Racism, the Resulting Health Inequities and a Positive Path Forward”

Briana is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor of behavioral, social, and health education sciences at Emory University. Her research focuses on partnering with communities to reduce and eliminate health disparities associated with stress and trauma. Using a social-ecological framework and community-based participatory research approach her research has examined how social, cultural, and structural factors influence mental health and health risk behaviors among children and adolescents exposed to trauma and chronic stress.

Thursday, Jan. 26th – Arthur Blume, PhD, “Honoring Alternative Cultural Worldviews to Strengthen Science of the Positive Prevention Methods”

Art is an American Indian scholar with extensive experience researching addictive behaviors and alcohol use interventions among ethnic minority populations, including American Indians and Alaska Natives, and among college students. Art is the author of A New Psychology Based on Community, Equality, and Care of the Earth. Most of his research during the last 15 years has been toward the advancement of understanding and effectively intervening upon addictive behaviors among racial and ethnic minorities in culturally appropriate ways.

Friday, Jan. 27th – Myra Parker, JD, MPH, PhD and Jeff Linkenbach, EdD, “Honoring The Positive: Reflecting on Positive Community Norms efforts in diverse communities – past, present and future”

Myra (Mandan-Hidatsa-Cree) is an associate professor in the Center for the Studies of Health and Risk Behaviors in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, in the University of Washington School of Medicine. She also serves as the director for Seven Directions: A Center for Indigenous Health. Myra has worked for over ten years on tribal public health program implementation, and coordination with tribal communities in Arizona, Idaho, and Washington, as well as with tribal colleges and universities across the United States. Her research experience in public health involves Community Based Participatory Research, cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions, and disparities research.

Jeff is the Founding Director and Chief Research Scientist at The Montana Institute and has developed national award-winning programs to change social norms. He pioneered development of the Science of the Positive process and the Positive Community Norms framework, which are being utilized by tribal, federal, state and local organizations to achieve positive change and transformation around issues including child maltreatment, substance abuse, suicide, and traffic safety.

Each session will be presented live:
1:00pm-2:00pm EST
12:00pm-1:00pm CST
11:00am-12:00pm MST
10:00am-11:00am PST

Recordings of each session will be made available to registered attendees for 30 days following the event.

The 2022 Youth Leadership Academy

Photo by Zachary Nelson on Unsplash

Youth group members! School leaders! Emerging prevention leaders ages 14 to 18! 

All are invited to join The Montana Institute’s second annual Youth Leadership Academy. Led by our team of experienced youth trainers, this three-part remote series will help youth build positive leadership skills, get insight into the power of perceptions and misperceptions, and learn new ways to make a positive impact in their schools and communities. Each session will focus on a different aspect of the Science of the Positive: Connecting with Your Why, The Power of Perceptions, and Balancing Hope with Concern. These fun, interactive trainings will be held on three summer Wednesdays: June 15, July 13, and August 17th, all from 11:00 to 12:30 pm Mountain Time.

In-person spots are more than 50% full!

Arrowleaf balsamroot blooms in June near Big Sky, Montana

If you plan to come to Big Sky for the 2022 Montana Summer Institute, the time to register is now. In-person spots are already half sold out, and our room block at Big Sky Resort is filling quickly.

Of course, the virtual option is terrific, too: no travel costs, no plane delays, and you can decide whether to attend the sessions live or watch them on your own schedule. Register now!

The Cycle of Transformation - Action

by Ben Tanzer, TMI Trainer

I recently had the opportunity to blog here about The Cycle of Transformation and I wrote about a presentation I co-led once where I failed to focus on Spirit, much less The Cycle of Transformation. I shared the following:

“But if I knew more, we might have structured the session with a focus on the cycle of transformation: Spirit First…Then Science…To Lead Action...For Desire Returns.

I would have also known (to quote TMI) that the:

"Four essential stages – Spirit, Science, Action, and Return – make up the transformational process of the Science of the Positive. These stages, when fully engaged, work together to create a synergistic cycle of positive transformation."

I know so much more now.

I also shared how I was co-crafting a workshop for TMI titled, Crafting Your Transformational Leadership Narrative with Stephanie Patton and how we opened both halves of the agenda with a focus on Spirit and then worked our way through the Cycle of Transformation. We also asked these questions:

What's important to you and what is your why?

We have since held that workshop twice and today we’re writing this blog post together. We’re doing so because even though we believed while designing the workshop that there was little more important to its success than focusing on what is your why, i.e., why do you do what you do, why are you a leader and why are you even here at all, we were reminded of the power of this simple question as the participants untangled their why’s.

We also asked asked the following questions:

Where would you like to go from here and how do you want to get there? More specifically, what actions will you take upon leaving the workshop?

TMI believes that “the positive is real and is worth growing – in ourselves, our families, our workplaces, and our communities.” 

Our workshop is foundational. It focuses on why we are leaders. It also asks whether we’re the kind of leaders we want to be and if not, how will we get there?

One place to start is drawing on the 7 Core Principles of The Science of the Positive and using them to both filter and organize the action steps that help us manifest our Why? You can learn more about The 7 Core Principles in the publication “Applying the Science of the Positive to Health and Safety,” which can be found on the TMI publications page here. However, by way of introduction we’ll share the following from TMI: “By engaging with these principles, we can create a positive, strength-based frame for our work; identify and connect with the true spirit and purpose of what we do; build greater leadership capacity within our organizations; ask the right questions and collect the most salient data; find effective, authentic ways to engage with our communities; and create the conditions most favorable to lasting cultural transformation. These principles become an invaluable tool to help us navigate the complexity of our health and safety work.”

We will also share some thoughts on how TMI defines the Core Principles: 

BE POSITIVE: The Positive is our natural state. It is who we truly are underneath the defenses and protections we create in response to painful life experiences. To be Positive is to shed these protections to identify and claim who we really are. How we respond to the existence of the Positive within us and others directs our lives: either the Positive is experienced by us in the form of hope, acceptance, love, and forgiveness, or it is not and we find ourselves are guided by fear. Our common quest as individuals, communities, and cultures is defined by how effective we are at directing the positive energies of our lives or, conversely, how busy we become constructing diversions from the truth that we are Positive. 

We would add that we like to think about how even though the positive may be our natural state, it doesn't always feel that way in the real world. We are often very problem focused. When we can expand our own lens to include the positive it helps to open new lines of inquiry, new questions that can lead to new and different solutions. It allows us to think about what we can grow and build and expand, instead of just exploring what is broken.

BE PRESENT: The Present is the only reality that exists. By focusing our attention on the current moment, we work with what is, not what was or what might be, creating a readiness for transformation to occur. The positive wholeness that we all long for is not found in a re-interpreted past or a romanticized future – it is only found in the here and now. We often create an illusion of certainty and attempt to control the unknown by focusing on the past or the future. This shuts down the potential for transformation. Life’s conditions are always moving and changing, but only in the Present can we access truth and the Positive. 

BE PERCEPTIVE: Perception is everything. What we perceive to be real is what we create in our lives and in the world. The way we perceive something solidifies it as that – whether or not it is an accurate reflection of what is really there. This is why perception is so important. Through attention and effort, we can develop our perceptual ability to see the Positive in every person and situation. We can choose how we perceive things.

BE PURPOSEFUL: When we are Purposeful, we bring positive results into our own lives and hope into the lives of others. We create what we truly seek in our lives by aligning our intentions with positive transformation. To be Purposeful is to be inspired by the potential of the future, not pushed or driven by the past. By consciously choosing positive intentions, we know exactly how to direct our speech and actions to manifest the Positive in the next moment. By being Purposeful we can learn to bring the Positive into being. 

Here we would add that we believe that choosing positive intentions helps direct our speech, and that choosing the right words matter as well when telling our own stories and our community's stories. We encourage you to be intentional when choosing your words, asking yourself what you’re trying to impart and why, and the actions you hope these stories will prompt.

BE PERFECTED: Being perfected is not about being perfect. To be Perfected is to understand we are in a process of transformation, moving toward wholeness and community. How often do we let our own needs to be perfect paralyze us from doing anything at all? The path to being Perfected is through humility – the critical skill of consciously choosing to dissolve our limited views in dedication to seeking a deeper reality. We need the courage to be imperfect in order to be made more whole. 

BE PROACTIVE: To be Proactive is to actively choose where we place our attention and what actions we will take. We can work to actively create the kinds of conditions where the positive can flourish. By noticing what is happening – both inside and outside ourselves – we transcend reaction, and can instead choose whether and how to respond to our circumstances. Being proactive is critical because it is only with awareness of our reactions and the limits of our current thinking that we create room to see a deeper reality. 

BE PASSIONATE: To be Passionate is to unleash the wild and meaningful life our souls desire and be in the moment-to-moment flow of connectedness to others. It is to live out and share with others the energy of being Positive and the gift of being alive. Becoming more Passionate in our growth towards the Positive is one side of the human equation, but a self-help focus is not enough to sustain us. We must also direct our passion toward serving others in order to be whole. It is impossible to create positive transformation in our individual lives without also directing our attention toward positively impacting others, and vice versa. 

We’ve both been using the 7 Core Principles to ask ourselves how we get to our why, with Stephanie focused on actions to BE PRESENT and BE PERFECTED and Ben focused on actions to  BE PERCEPTIVE and BE PROACTIVE. 

Which core principles resonate with you at this moment?

Again, this is an introduction to these ideas, but as a framework, it’s a wonderful place to start. We suspect you will see yourself in these Core Principles as we have and will immediately ask yourself what actions you might want to take to be more aligned with the Principles. We encourage that, especially when you place them in the context of your own Cycle of Transformation.

We also encourage you to learn more about how to apply the Principles and explore taking TMI’s Transformational Leadership Assessment tool, which will allow you further insights into how these Principles are, or can be, integrated into your life as leaders and humans.

And we definitely encourage you to take our workshop, which will be back in the fall. We utilize the assessment throughout the experience, we challenge you to examine your Why and we push you to determine which Actions you can take to become the leaders you want to be.

The Cycle of Transformation - Science

SPIRIT - SCIENCE - ACTION - RETURN

Science is the second step of the Cycle of Transformation. It is through Science that we are able to gather data and figures and really get a grasp of the current reality that exists. It is through Science we can measure our progress of where we are and where we want our community norms and narratives to be. Science also allows us to determine what Action is required moving forward.

Why is Science important in the Cycle of Transformation?

Science can seem like the most time consuming part of the project. After we are ignited by our Spirit or our “why” of the work, we may feel excited to start taking Action. It is through Science that we will properly orient ourselves to be taking correct Action. 

Take The Montana Institute’s social media page for example. At the beginning of our recent social media campaign ‘30 Days of the Positive’ we were very excited to start rolling out with new content. We  created images and content that aligned with the campaign. We were ready to start posting content, but several days before the campaign was launched we realized that we hadn’t asked ourselves if this content aligned with the goals of The Montana Institute community. Instead of just posting the content without first collecting survey data, we decided to postpone the campaign until we received sufficient data regarding how the community felt about the images and content of the campaign. We posted a survey and received great feedback. It was after we received  this new received data that we were able to refine our content to align with the goals of our organization and the community. 

Science is important because it allows us to orient ourselves in the proper direction.

“The Journey of 1,000 miles does not begin with the first step; but with orienting oneself in the proper direction.” - Dr. Jeff Linkenbach Seeds of Fire, Roots of Hope

Examples of data collection

• Interviews - Questioning someone for their

  opinions and experiences.

• Questionnaires and surveys - An investigation based on a series of questions.

• Observations - Watching reality closely in order to gain information.

• Documents and records - Using previously collected data to learn about existing facts and opinions.

• Focus groups - Small group interview of demographically similar individuals.

• Oral histories - A collection and study of historical information using previously recorded sound interviews with people have personal knowledge of events.

Science is Gathering Information

Using these data collection methods, you will be able to receive sufficient information to give guidance and direction through what happens in the community.  In summation, in is important that we use Science to look at the reality of what currently exists within the community.

If you have any questions and/or need support in executing any of these strategies please contact us at info@montanainistitute.com.

The Cycle of Transformation - Spirit

by Ben Tanzer

What is your Why? Ruminations on Nurturing Spirit and The Cycle of Transformation.

What's important to you and what is your why?

This is what I think about when I think about Spirit.

But first a story.

I was co-presenting a workshop on messaging around child abuse prevention. The energy was good, the flow was good and my co-presenter and I were on. A participant raised her hand. I stopped talking, I asked her what her question was, she responded, I started to respond, she became overwhelmed and I had an AH-hah moment: the participant’s Spirit was not being tended to or nurtured, not on her job, and definitely not by me or my co-presenter.

At the time, I was still new to the work of The Montana Institute. But if I knew more, we might have structured the session with a focus on the cycle of transformation: Spirit First…Then Science…To Lead Action...For Desire Returns.

I would have also known (to quote TMI) that the:

"Four essential stages – Spirit, Science, Action, and Return – make up the transformational process of the Science of the Positive. These stages, when fully engaged, work together to create a synergistic cycle of positive transformation."

But I didn’t yet know much about this.

What I knew, was that there was a better way to message about child abuse prevention, we finally had the data to support that and we had developed a workshop that would highlight the Science behind this new messaging. I also knew that as a field, we could now achieve the Desired Returns we sought, a more engaged public, changes in behavior and policy, innovative programming and greater attention to healthy child development.

The participant's question was focused on Action though.

How should her organization speak about incidents of abuse in the community that had to be addressed publicly? I spoke about crafting press releases and statements, how to frame them, the creation of talking points and the use of social media, and I felt that I was both smart and supportive. I felt like I was nailing it and the participant was taking copious notes, but as she did, she slowly collapsed into her seat and into herself. I asked what she was feeling. She replied that there was no one in her office who was responsible for doing what I was suggesting. She had been sent to our workshop because someone had to learn more about our work and someone had to bring the knowledge home and execute it. That someone would be her and she would be doing so on top of her normal job. She said she was inspired by the workshop, but exhausted by the idea of translating what she was learning for her co-workers and the community stakeholders they worked with.

What's important to you and what is your why?

I'm currently co-crafting a workshop for TMI titled, Crafting Your Transformational Leadership Narrative, and when I asked my co-creator and presenter Stephanie Patton how she thinks about

Spirit when she's talking about it at the community level, she said, I focus on making connections with people and what's important to them.

If I knew more about the cycle of positive transformation when I developed that other workshop all those years ago I would have focused more on modeling the cycle itself when we presented the Science, spoke to the Desired Returns and delved into the action participants might take.

We also could have opened the workshop by asking what's important to you, why are you here and how do you connect with people in your community around this work? Which is to say that from the beginning, we could have integrated Spirit and addressed how we re-ignite hope.

Instead, I had to react to the participant’s questions and duress. I asked her if she had connections in the community, she did, could they work together on the communications that were being discussed so she didn’t have to tackle the work alone, they could, and might doing so enhance her Spirit, it would.

I was able to find my way to addressing Spirit, but I didn’t proactively plan for it, think about it or even start there.

We like to stress that the POSITIVE exists, and it does, but we have to seek it out, nurture it, and embrace the cycle of transformation as a whole:

Spirit First...Then Science...To Lead Action...For Desire Returns.

We also have to do so in order.

Order matters.

For our Crafting Your Transformational Leadership Narrative workshop Stephanie and I open both halves of the agenda with a focus on Spirit and then work our way through the cycle.

We also ask these questions:

What's important to you and what is your why?

And we do so because the positive starts there.

Why is Social Media Important with Positive Community Norms?

Have you seen The Montana Institute’s recent social media posting?

As you have recently seen, The Montana Institute (TMI) is utilizing our social media pages to promote a ‘30 Days of the Positive’ campaign in order to bring positive change to the world. In this week's blog post we will continue to explore how we can use The Science of The Positive to change community norms in order to transform culture, ultimately resulting in building healthier and safer communities. Via our social media channels we post in a cadence of Spirit - Science - Action - Return. We would like to demonstrate how to use social media to bring about positive community change. 

How does social media fit in with Positive Community Norms?

Let’s face it. Social media is now just as much as part of our lives as eating and sleeping is. Social media is built into the fabric of our community as a whole. Using the 7 Step Model that we teach in our trainings, we are going to bring positive change and demonstrate positivity within our social media communities. Social media has become a part of our daily lives and is constantly affecting our perceptions of the world, and for those of you who have heard Dr. Jeff Linkenbach speak, perceptions shape our realities. What we believe we see and what we see we believe. 

Social media is also extremely influential on our children’s’ behaviors and emotions. Not only is it hard enough to attend high school and try to fit in with your local high school crowd, you now have the ability to see what other high schoolers are doing across the world. Depression and anxiety are a real concern. 

Social media is a tool, a medium that we can use for communication and it alters perceptions of those that use it. In order to bring positive change to communities we need to recognize the positive that already exists within the community. It’s similar with our use of social media: how can we as conscious social media users highlight the positive that already exists within social media? This is the ongoing conversation we would like to have with you. Follow us on all of our social platforms in order to stay in the loop!  As of right now we are actively posting Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

What can you do to help?

We want to share your content! We would love it if you (The Montana Institute Community) would be a part of this story. We want to highlight the work that you are doing right now to make a positive change. If you have any content that you would like to share, whether it be from a blog post, a news article, a podcast clip, a published study, or anything you would like us to promote, feel free to send any information to Chris@montanainstitute.com.

The Montana Institute is Repurposing, Revitalizing, and Refreshing our Social Pages

Have you seen the recent postings in The Montana Institute’s social pages?

Hello everyone, I would like to introduce myself. My name Christopher Linkenbach and I have recently joined the TMI team to help out in several areas of the business, including social media and its online presence! Our intention with The Montana Institute’s (TMI) recent social media activity is to repurpose, revitalize, and refresh our social media pages. The Spirit behind this work is to use social media as a means for transforming communities in a positive and effective way. TMI also wants to recognize the need for social media campaigns that model the framework of the Science of The Positive and proper norms for communication.  

Why is Social Media Important?

We all know that Social Media is a fantastic way to engage with large audiences with the click of the button; but what if instead of using social media to watch funny videos of dogs or watching sports highlights, we could use social media to create campaigns that transform communities for the better and highlight how the positive plays a role in this transformation (while also watching funny videos of dog and sports highlights)?

What is the Science of the Positive?

The Science of the Positive (Linkenbach, 2010) is the study of the ways in which positive factors impact culture and experience. It is based on the core assumption that the Positive is real and is worth growing, and provides a framework for systematizing the identification, measurement and growth of the positive—in ourselves, our families, our workplaces, and our communities. According to The Science of the Positive, "The Positive" consists of the behaviors, attitudes, perceptions, traditions, language, and other factors that have a beneficial impact on health, culture, and human experience (Linkenbach, 2016).

Our intention is to filter all of our social media posting through the filter of the Science of the Positive. 

What are our Intentions?

We plan to launch right into a ‘30 Days of The Positive’ campaign, outlining the positive and showing that the positive exists and is real. Our campaign is going to follow the same effective communications guidelines that we have been teaching for years now. 

Following the Spirit-Science-Action-Return model, we connect with the Spirit or “the why” of our work by: 

• Following data and Science proven methods and in taking  Action based on the current needs of our social media campaign. 

• Testing our content using survey analysis.

• Posting our content on a regular basis with the intent to outline the positive in our communities. 

• Entering into the Return of our work following the campaign, coming back into a contemplative space and reflecting on what did and did not work.

• Learning and adjusting our action steps in the future for desired results. 

We will then enter back into the Spirit-Science-Action-Return cycle to continue the method for positive norms communication.

What Can You Do to Help?

Some Action steps you can take right now to help bring positive change into your communities is by following our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay tuned into what we are doing with our social media campaign We also ask that you share our content whenever you see something that resonates with your message so that others can begin to learn powerful ways to create change in their own communities. 

We would also love to hear some of your ideas and stories and would be happy to share your content on our social pages as well. If you would like to send us content for use, go ahead and Direct Message us on any of our social media pages or email me, the social media coordinator, using the following email: Chris@montanainstitute.com.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas! - The Montana Institute

Welcome 2021 with the Science of the Positive!

Many Dr. Jeff Linkenbachs attended our last Summer Institute. Jeff and other members of our training team can "travel" to your community, too!

The Montana Institute is kicking off 2021 with three remote training opportunities that will help you grow protective factors, promote the positive -- even during a pandemic -- and build leadership skills for the work that lies ahead. We hope you'll join us for one, two, or all three. Or If you want customized consultation, we can “travel” to deliver training and support! Since March, the TMI Training Team has connected with health promotion leaders in California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, and Washington to support their work changing norms, improving health, and transforming community cultures.  

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Workshop 1: Introduction to Positive Community Norms

This two-part, four-hour training will renew your spirit and bring fresh energy to your work. Join us to learn about this powerful framework for reducing harm, improving health and strengthening community cultures. We will unpack the power of the positive approach and provide you with effective communication skills that you can put to use immediately. Great for newcomers as well as those looking for an updated overview.

• TIMING: January 14th and 15th from 11:30 to 1:30 CT

• COST: $175

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Workshop 2: Practicing the Science of the Positive in Challenging Times

What does positive messaging look like during a global pandemic? Can we apply Positive Community Norms to messaging about COVID19? How can we continue messaging about anything else? 

This team-led series of five virtual workshops will address these questions and show how the Science of the Positive can be a touchstone for public health practitioners during difficult and confusing times. No previous experience is necessary, but we recommend that newcomers also register for the Introduction to Positive Community Norms. 

• TIMING: January 21 & 28, and February 4, 11 & 18 from 11:30 to 1:30 CT

• COST: $375/person

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Workshop 3: Crafting Your Transformational Leadership Narrative

Expand your leadership capacity in this interactive, introspective, and inspirational workshop. Before the sessions begin, you’ll take our innovative Science of the Positive Transformational Leadership Assessment and receive a personalized Leadership Profile based on your results. During the live workshop, you will use a creative mix of individual and group storytelling exercises to construct a personal leadership narrative that will increase your clarity, effectiveness, and confidence as a community leader and change-maker. 

• TIMING: Tuesday, March 23 from 1:00 to 4:00pm CT & Wednesday, March 24 from 11:00 to 2:00 pm CT

• COST: $225/person, including assessment & all materials. Enrollment limited. 

Applying Native Wisdom in Challenging Times

We are honored to announce that we are partnering with our longtime friends and colleagues at the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center for an important series of conversations featuring tribal leaders from Minnesota and beyond. These interactive online discussions will focus on how traditional teachings to help us navigate the challenges of this difficult and disconnected time.

While this series is intended for Minnesota service providers working with Minnesota Native American people, we have plenty of room for those interested in how Native Americans are using Spirit and Wisdom during these challenging and changing times. If there is one thing Native Americans have always been certain of, it is Change. Let’s learn together how we can use the wisdom of our presenters for our own betterment and that of our communities.

There is no charge for this webinar series. You can choose to attend one or more of the four planned sessions. For more information or to register, please click here.

PCN on the Red Lake Nation

“This place is beautiful. I refuse to see it any other way.”

— Thomas Barrett Jr.

The Science of the Positive framework honors the solutions that already exist in each community and culture.

We're honored to be invited into sharing our work in community circles and gatherings, with amazing community leaders like those in the Red Lake Nation in Northern Minnesota.  Through years of integrating the Positive Community Norms framework with traditional teachings, the leaders at Red Lake Chemical Health have positively grown healthy norms in the community.  This video shows the power of honoring Spirit and traditional wisdom as the basis of cultivating positive community norms. Please watch.

NEW VIRTUAL TRAINING: Practicing the Science of the Positive in Challenging Times

How do we apply the Science of the Positive in times of suffering and uncertainty? What does positive messaging look like during a global pandemic? Can we apply Positive Community Norms to messaging about COVID19? How can we continue messaging about anything else? 

This series of five virtual workshops will address these difficult questions and show how the Science of the Positive framework can be a touchstone and a guide for public health practitioners during these difficult and confusing times. Come prepared to join in small group discussions and to share your work, feedback and ideas with the group. 

• Cost: $375 per person for the five-week series. 

• Schedule: Workshops will be held on five consecutive Wednesdays starting May 20th. Details below.  

• Timing: All workshops will be held from 11:00 - 12:30 Central Time.

The Montana SEPTEMBER Institute

To protect the health and safety of our participants and presenters, we have decided to reschedule the Montana Summer Institute for September 15-17, 2020. The situation over the next few months is just too uncertain for us to plan confidently for June. We considered moving to a virtual platform, but more than ever we feel the need to gather together in person, against the beautiful backdrop of Big Sky.

The Summer Institute is always a highlight of our year, and it is our hope that this year will be no different. September is a glorious time to be in Montana, and we look forward to learning from, inspiring, and comforting one another this fall.

Click here to learn more about our amazing lineup of workshops and presentations. We hope you can join us.