I’ve had the privilege of working for the last month with an amazing group of women from the American Institute of Interior Designers (ASID) in Atlanta.  Shawn Alshut is a member of the organization and when she found herself in career transition she decided to do something to help create a sense of community around what was happening to herself and her colleagues.  She launched the Silver Lining group within the ASID organization so that others who were in career transition would have a community to connect with.  Shawn knew that a lot of the people who had been laid off would need some support and help with finding another job.

One of the women in the group, Claire Pardo, decided to enter a competition sponsored by Architecture for Humanity to design a school in India.  She invited other members of the Silver Lining group to participate.  This project gives them something meaningful to focus on while searching for a job as well as adding to their portfolios.

I’ve been inspired by all of the women in this group for how they’ve come together and created such a strong sense of community.  They decided to focus on moving forward and to find ways to be inspired and motivated rather than feeling sorry for themselves and the situation they found themselves in, plus they’re helping each other in the process.

There are a lot of people coming together during this economic downturn, that is truly the silver lining.  I’ve felt more of a strong sense of community in this country since January 2009 than I’ve felt in a long time!