Happy 2025! As we step into this new year, we are filled with gratitude and excitement for the journey ahead.
The end of the year offered moments of peace and reflection, and we’re eager to continue our work with your invaluable support. For 40 years, our mission has been to create spaces where differences are celebrated, ensuring everyone benefits from a more inclusive world. Your contributions to the Impact Fund help us offer transformative programs and services that share the VISIONS tools widely. Please consider continuing your support of this mission and making a donation today.
VISIONS Institute Launch
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the VISIONS Institute in September 2025!
This year-long program is designed for individuals who want to deepen their practice in their organizations across the USA and internationally. Participants will engage in extended learning, peer-to-peer mentorship, and the full VISIONS toolkit, empowering them to create meaningful, sustainable change.
Building on 40 years of experience in train-the-trainer programs and consultant development, this initiative represents an exciting next step in expanding our community of multicultural collaborators.
Your continued support is crucial in making this milestone possible. Together, we can drive even greater impact.
Upcoming Events
On January 20, 2025, join VISIONS in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a trailblazer whose unwavering leadership in the fight for nonviolence, equality, and justice continues to inspire us today.
Coming Soon: Updated Brand and Messaging
Stay tuned this spring for the launch of our updated brand and messaging—we can’t wait to share our refreshed vision with you!
Podcast Feature: Senior VISIONS Consultant Terry Berman
In Navigating Complexities in Liberatory Work, Terry talks about her childhood in apartheid-era South Africa and living in the United Kingdom as a young person before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. She reflects on the complexities around her white identity and how her early experiences led to her deep, lifetime commitment to social justice and activism.
Download the episode on your favorite podcast platform or listen on the VISIONS website.
Guidelines for Effective Cross-Cultural Dialogue
Looking to explore or refresh your knowledge of our work? Join our Guidelines for Effective Cross-Cultural Dialogue workshop, held on the last Wednesday of every month. This 75-minute, pay-what-you-can session ($25 suggested) is an excellent introduction to or refresher on our approach to fostering understanding across differences. Earn CE credit (NASW or NBCC) for just $20 more.
Expanding Our Impact
Our Comms team took notice of recent boards pushing back against inequitable shareholder proposals.
Apple and Costco are two recent examples. Costco’s board recently stood firm on the importance of inclusion at their company (full statement starts on page 31). One highlight from their response to a shareholder proposal stated: "Having diversity in our supplier base, including appropriate attention to small businesses, is beneficial for many of the same reasons diversity benefits our Company. We believe that it fosters creativity and innovation in the merchandise and services that we offer our members.”
Apple’s board stated:
“At Apple, we believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apple’s success as making the best products in the world. We seek to conduct business ethically, honestly, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and our Business Conduct and Compliance policies are foundational to how we do business. And we strive to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work.”
Do you have similar stories of businesses reinforcing the importance of our work or feedback on this you would like to share with VISIONS? Please send a note to comms@visions-inc.org
Out Doing the Work
Check out Dr. Valerie Batts' article in the Chowan Herald titled, Before you make claims about history, do your homework.
From the Office
The office will be closed on the dates below. If you need assistance while the office is closed, you can refer to the VISIONS Help Cheat Sheet.
- MLK Day - Jan. 20, 2025
- Presidents' Day - Feb. 17, 2025
- VISIONS Office Closed Spring Break - March 17-21, 2025
Have any general feedback, questions, or ideas? Let us know! You can complete this survey and someone from VISIONS will reach out to you.