Diane Rogers presents at the Inspire Neighborhoods Conference What helps a neighborhood thrive? Is it the leaders who plan events and initiatives? The folks who show up to neighborhood meetings? The volunteers who organize cleanups and parties? The local business owners who invest in their com munity? The neighbors who check on one another when times get tough? The answer, of course, is all of the above. But perhaps there is something even more fundamental at work when we invest our time in our neighborhoods: Our willingness to recognize that we are stronger together than we are alone. That was one of the messages behind the 2026 Inspire Neighborhoods Conference, held September 11 at Electric Works in Fort Wayne. The Inspire conference brought together neighborhood leaders and community partners to talk about the challenges, and possibilities, facing our city’s neighborhoods. If you think about the conference theme of “Resilience: Together We Are Stronger,” anyone who has spent time volunteering for their neighborhood knows that leadership isn’t always easy. It can be thankless, emotional, and demanding. It definitely requires resilience. But one of the most powerful ideas shared throughout the conference was that we don’t have to do it alone. At the end of the day, keynote speaker Lem Cartman of WE Inc. (“WE” standing for “With Everyone”) summarized the theme as he introduced the concept of Ubuntu, often expressed as “I am because we are.” He asked attendees to think about what happens when we replace “I” with “we.” What one person can’t accomplish may become possible when several people bring their ideas, experiences, and energy to the table. What one neighborhood has learned through trial and error might be exactly what another Fort Wayne neighborhood needs to hear. A challenge that seems overwhelming to one group might look a little different when someone else says, “We’ve been there. Here’s what we learned.” That’s the power of sharing. Cartman also offered a simple but thought-provoking change in how we communicate. Instead of asking someone, “What do you think?” consider asking, “Why do you care?” Those are two very different questions. “What do you think?” can produce an opinion, and sometimes a disagreement. “Why do you care?” invites us to hear the story behind the opinion. It encourages us to listen instead of simply preparing our response. And Fort Wayne’s neighborhoods have a lot of stories. Our neighborhoods aren’t identical. What works in one may not work in another. Residents have different experiences, priorities, and ideas about what their communities need. Resilience doesn’t mean we all have to agree. It means we are willing to listen, learn from one another and find ways to move forward together. A city, or a neighborhood, is a lot like a body. It has many different parts, each with its own purpose, but those parts are connected. No single part can do everything on its own. Our neighborhoods, community organizations, nonprofits, businesses, schools, city departments, and residents each have a role to play. When those pieces work in isolation, their ability to create lasting change is limited. When we connect, something much greater becomes possible. So perhaps resilience isn’t simply about how well we bounce back from a challenge. Perhaps it’s about how well we lean on one another while we’re facing it. This year, the conference also took place on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. One lesson from that day that remains worth carrying forward is the importance of looking out for one another. Keep talking to your neighbors. Share what you’ve learned. Encourage someone else who is doing the work. Ask not only what people think, but why they care. Because every Fort Wayne neighborhood is part of something larger. And when “I” becomes “we,” we can. ...read more read less