The Virtue of Community

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• References

On a recent flight I was reading an article in the airline magazine and was drawn to the headings within the article: the virtue of prestige, the virtue of novelty, and the virtue of community (Marsh, 2010). The article was about music festivals, but what struck me was the applicability of those headings to the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), particularly the virtue of community. NAPNAP provides incredible opportunities to be a part of a community, “a unified body of individuals” (Community, n.d.). Each of us belongs to many communities to meet our individual interests and needs. These communities may include family, friends, professional colleagues, faith communities, social groups, and educational groups.

Being part of a community provides opportunities to learn, share, and grow; to interact with others with similar interests or common goals; and to belong in a meaningful way. In many ways community is what NAPNAP is about—participating, belonging, and joining together to support and advance the organization's mission and goals. NAPNAP provides several communities to meet the interests and needs of its members, including:

As busy professionals we often are challenged to find the time to remain engaged in our many communities. Yet without these communities we cannot achieve our fullest potential. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. Likewise it takes a community to support, nurture, and mentor each of us so that collectively we can achieve the mission and goals of NAPNAP. In her book It Takes a Village, Hilary Rodham Clinton begins the first chapter with this quote from Herman Melville: “We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results” (as cited in Clinton, 1996, p. 7). Our lives are connected not only by invisible threads running along sympathetic fibers, but through technology running along optic fibers. This draws us into a community of other professionals in practice, education, advocacy, scholarship, leadership, and friendship to advance our causes. When a community comes together for such purposes, our actions result in advancing the mission and goals of NAPNAP.

So how do we engage in these opportunities to be part of the NAPNAP community? One way is through face-to face activities such as the Annual Conference or participation in local, state, national, and international activities. Another way is by joining NAPNAP's Online Community. Through this social networking venue we have the opportunity to be part of one or several communities of NAPNAP members with similar professional goals and interests.

At NAPNAP's 2010 Annual Conference in Chicago, I heard many attendees discussing the challenges of keeping up to date with new practices and professional issues, keeping in touch with other members, starting or continuing dialogs of interest, and keeping up with what NAPNAP as an organization is doing. Many of these individuals were not aware of NAPNAP's Online Community and the opportunities it provides to stay up-to-date and connected. What better way to have access to the expertise of 7000 colleagues than through NAPNAP's Online Community? By subscribing to the Online Community you can keep up to date with other members, your chapter, Special Interest Groups, and NAPNAP's organizational activities through links to the member directory, eGroups, and blogs. Join me in reaping the benefits of the NAPNAP community anytime, anywhere, and celebrating the virtue of community.

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References 

1. Community. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster's online dictionary (11th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community
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2. Clinton HR. It takes a village: And other lessons children teach us. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster; 1996;
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3. Marsh, S. (2010). Rock“n” roll pilgrims. Sky, April, 76–80, 98.
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