Again this year and in practicing what we preach, we start by reflecting on our needs and professional and personal development as a foundation that just turned 5 years old! In considering “development” and the ways that personal and professional can’t be fully separated, we often think of June Jordan’s “the personal is political is personal”.  We bring our whole selves to our work, especially in social justice movements, so why should our investments in our growth be anything but whole for us?!

“To tell the truth is to become beautiful, to begin to love yourself, value yourself. And that’s political, in its most profound way.” ~June Jordan

In 2024, our staff engaged in some cool professional development including creative endeavors that they coordinated independently. Aligned with wellness and our commitment to loving on whole humans, our team grew through independent coaching, team coaching, therapy and a customized and specific 20-session course called OH Black Girl ASL. Our leadership served on and joined new nonprofit boards and city commissions. We even learned promising practices to host a fellow while hiring our first part time staff member to support with coordinating the upcoming 2025 Leaders Retreat.

This year, we hope to be creative and fun in our professional and personal development again. Not only for us but for our partners too. We offer capacity building to our partners in response to direct requests and also to address trends for which we establish programming and opportunities.  For example, in 2025 we will offer a second group of our leaders to matriculate through a powerful coaching certification program: Coaching for Healing Justice and Liberation.

Did you know that in just a couple of weeks, 3 leaders in partnership with Open Horizon, will graduate with coaching certifications? Each is considering ways to deepen their practice and use their new skills in organizing and leading movement spaces. We know that each of them is committed to transformational justice and building the world that we want to see; we are thrilled that they committed themselves to healing, noting the ripple effects, and are completing the rigorous 9-month program with clarity, confidence, compassion, care, creativity, connection, and calm.

Healing, Justice and Liberation must inform our philanthropic work. We anticipate having additional challenges to our community’s commitment to equity, freedom, and anti-racism and we are fortifying in a number of ways to question how our voice and positionality can be most effective in the fight against fascism.  We will not be fearful, we will be faithful in each other and our movement.

Drop a line: Let us know in the comment section what you or your team will be doing for personal or professional development in 2025?

By D’Lynn Jacobs, Open Horizon Executive Director