Since the start of LatinoLEAD, we’ve been aiming to build a network for and by Latinx. The feedback we got last year made us think about what our values were reflecting and if they were representative of our community’s needs.
Leadership was originally used and continues to represent our most overarching goal. It represents what we as Latinx need to see more of and what we aim to achieve with each and every person in the LatinoLEAD Network. We aim to build a pipeline of leaders starting at home.
Equity to us means accountability in the system and we’re making sure that we address this in every space we touch. Whether this is through advocacy work with partner organizations or providing the LatinoLEAD Network with informational assets or a mentor, the LatinoLEAD Team is dedicated to ensuring that we are one of your main sources to access resources that are often hard to attain.
Achievement is another one you’re familiar with if you’ve been following us for a while. We see this value as the celebration of the LatinoLEAD Network’s aspirations individually and as a whole. Perception of latinx is filtered through a biased lens, we aim to change this and every single success along the way counts toward that. Achievement is what each and everyone of us does and the actionable steps needed to get there.
Development is our newest addition to LatinoLEAD’s set of values. This word resembles growth in all aspects, independently and collectively. It represents what we aim to achieve in each and every facet of our work. Development rounds off our values encompassing what we aim for. It is a word that we have found to best describe the purpose of our efforts as LatinoLEAD.
If you’ve been familiar with LatinoLEAD for a while, you’ll recognize the use of our values within our work. Changing one of our core values was a natural transition after serving and listening to our community for the last three years. Using the word Development instead of Diplomacy allows us to work on advocacy and policy in a personable way, dependent on the issues we are tackling at that moment in time.
We feel confident that the use of Development as one of our core values better represents the goals of LatinoLEAD as it is both timeless and representative of the work we do for our Latinx throughout Minnesota. With this, we welcome new network members and a new era of LatinoLEAD.
