When in Rome...Do as Romans

This is a famous quote that encourages individuals to go with the flow of the environment he or she is in.  When in Rome, Italy an individual should expect to hear a different language being spoken, smell different smells, see different traffic patterns, and experience very different ways of interacting.  This does not mean, however, that an individual in Rome has to give up on a personal goals or aspirations.  It simply means that it would be better to attain an individual goal by going with the flow of the Roman way.

The same applies within our programs.  We always have a clear goal of fostering and growing social relationships within our groups, but the manner in which we do that can be different in each group and in each individual.  For example, we might capitalize on someone's interest in car's, dinosaurs,  or trains.  There is no right or wrong way of accomplishing our goals, but finding the unique and local paths is important to create MEANING in the interactions and in relationships.  The meaning is what helps each individual to carry the skills they learn with us into new social environments.