Big News from Big Sky: Highlights from The Montana Institute's 2027 Summer Institute

​​Lisa Donahue, TTC’s Communication and Development Manager, and Stacy Perry, TTC’s Drug Free Communities Project Director, had the opportunity to attend The Montana Summer Institute: Creating Conditions Where the Good Can Grow, a multi-day conference in Big Sky, Montana. This valuable, enriching experience was funded by Tri-Town Council’s federal Drug-Free Communities Grant. This conference provided Lisa and Stacy with an in-depth look into the Science of the Positive Framework, which is one of the fundamental principles behind the work we do and the decisions we make at Tri-Town Council. The Science of the Positive Framework is the study of how positive factors impact culture and experience. This framework rests on the belief that focusing on the positive is real and is worth growing. It focuses on identifying, measuring, and strengthening positive behaviors, attitudes, and strengths. While challenges also exist, research shows that the best path to healthy, thriving communities is to identify what’s working, amplify what’s strong, and grow and build upon the good that already exists in every community. Below, they share their experience with the community:

Day 1 of the conference started with investigating the Spirit portion of the Framework Science of the Positive, where we were introduced to how to find the positive in situations. We heard emotional stories of vulnerability from speakers about how finding the positives has impacted their lives and their communities. These presentations brought many in the audience to tears and kicked off the week by allowing us to sit in the “spirit,” appreciate who we are, and be our authentic selves. This reinforced the importance of keeping TTC's mission front and center in everything we do to work to strengthen the well-being and resiliency of Tri-Town youth by engaging them in constructive experiences and positive relationships that empower them to make healthy decisions.

Day 2 moved on to the Science piece of the Science of the Positive Framework, where we learned from recent research. We listened to a captivating presentation from Jason Kilmer, Ph.D., that included data proving that focusing on the majority of people who are demonstrating positive values helps everyone in the community. We learned about identifying community concerns while at the same time making space for hope by focusing on the positive. The lecture also presented intriguing research that examined the link between both parental and peer social modeling of alcohol use, parental permissiveness of youth alcohol use, and actual youth alcohol use. His research and data support his theory that creating positive community norms helps everyone in the community.

Day 3 focused on Action, which is what we can do with the information that we have to make positive changes. We listened to another incredible lecture on the impact that substance use has on people and how building self-efficacy in our youth and adults aids in the prevention of substance use. We also learned about how the state of Minnesota is implementing the Science of the Positive statewide and the beneficial ripple effect it has had on youth, parents, educators, and other caring adults. We learned that change can take time, but it will happen!

In between this growth in our knowledge, we had the opportunity to schedule some incredible team-building activities, which helped us to expose ourselves to new things and face our fears. We had the opportunity to meet and network with people from around the country who are committed to similar work. Seeing the similarities among our successes and challenges was inspiring and motivating.

We are looking forward to bringing this messaging to you more often over the coming year and creating a culture of positive norms in the Tri-Town community!