PAUL BRADLEY
PRESIDENT, ROC USA®
No matter the undertaking, it’s best to connect with others and engage in education. That’s true in the workplace, true with hobbies, and true with Membership in a ROC.
Long our ambition, online training and peer networking at ROC USA® benefited from the pandemic. It spurred us to innovate and deliver. We have begun utilizing technology to expand learning and peer networking in support of ROC leaders and Members across the country.
I’m proud to say that last year we introduced a robust, high-quality, and easily accessible online learning platform for the network of more than 300 ROCs.
ROC USA’s Online Learning Community for Knowledge, Education and Training or “ROCKET” is a place where ROC Members can take online, on-demand courses at their own pace and on their own time.
You can also participate in instructor-led webinars, workshops, and peer networking experiences on a wide range of topics, including communication skills, health and well-being, personal development, managing meetings, ROC Board Member orientation, community engagement, emergency planning and more.
It is accessible, flexible, and high-quality. We have three former university professionals – experts in online education – running ROCKET. Our team provides engaging content ranging from quick, introductory micro courses (between one and five minutes) to in-depth seminars and learning paths.
And it’s available at no cost to any ROC Member in a community that has ever worked with ROC USA or a Certified Technical Assistance Provider!
Many of the courses are offered in Spanish and all content in ROCKET can be accessed from a computer, tablet or even through an easy-to-use App called Litmos that’s available from any smartphone.
The beauty of our network is its diversity, and we want to make sure that ROC Members can access ROCKET at any time.
Since launching ROCKET a year ago, Members from 25 percent of the now 308 ROCs have signed up for ROCKET and completed more than 700 courses! Our most popular classes are on the topics of leadership, communication skills, stress management and infill.
Recently, I had the chance to chat with two ROCKET “super users,” Debbie Holt and Lawrence “Butch” Johnson Jr., on our podcast, Ownership Matters. Debbie is a resident in Harbor Village Cooperative in Newport, Ore., and Butch hails from Breezy Acres Cooperative in Colchester, Vt. If you haven’t already listened to them, make sure to click on the link above.
Butch shared with us that his extensive involvement in his community and the things he has learned on ROC USA’s training platform ROCKET have tremendously helped him deal with his PTSD, conflict management, stress and more. He got involved in the ROCKET: Better Together Leadership Program last June. By the end of it, he had completed upward of 45 ROCKET courses.
Debbie first started taking classes on ROCKET to learn about what it takes to be a successful co-op. Although it was the first time she had been involved in Zoom meetings, she dove right in and was excited to see the faces of other people and connect with them on a personal level. As she shared, learning from others how they dealt with issues they experienced in their own communities was helpful and comforting.
Debbie and Butch will serve as peer ambassadors during the Better Together Leadership Program (BTLP) in ROCKET this spring. This role allows them to share their expertise and experiences to help lead peer-networking Lunch-and-Learn webinars, and mentor ROC Members who are new to ROCKET and online learning.
I am excited to see our online learning and peer networking expand and deepen over the coming years. Let’s learn to together and help the ROC Movement soar to new heights!
ROC Members can learn more about ROCKET and enroll here.
