Core Beliefs

We believe that reality is shaped at every level of human experience from inner/individual, to interpersonal, to institutional, and widening the circle to structural — community and society. Changing our world for the better means building power and relationships. It means being deeply attuned to the experiences and hopes of changemakers, and freeing people up to be their best selves. 

We believe that change comes about through intention and action — by:

• paying attention to all the levels of experience and understanding how each of us relates to all of us, in the indigenous concept of “all our relations” 
• connecting mind-body-spirit through shared stories and traditions while valuing emergent practice
• deepening shared understanding of root causes, and honest communication in trusting relationships about how to make a difference
• community engagement with a value of co-powering, radical acceptance and radical shifts,
• knowing that our work serves a higher purpose.

We believe that talking the talk will never compare to walking the walk. We make the road by walking, just not by any person’s or group’s efforts alone. We believe in wisdom captured by African proverbs such as, “’If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This ancestral gift must be balanced with the “fierce urgency of now.” Aware of generations-old trauma and ways that people hoard or share power, change has to include a focus on healing and wellness: We must be still to center ourselves and create our own calm, get clear about bold ideas, be present enough to improvise and transform conflict, continually take inventory and grow so that we can be real in how we relate to people.