Imagine Us LLC

As part of Communications Workers of America, Groundswell Workers United (GWU), Groundswell Fund, and Groundswell Action Fund are thrilled to announce Groundswell's first (and groundbreaking) CBA! Unionization is happening across the nonprofit sector. This type of transformation comes with learning opportunities, challenges, and ample bright spots. Pro-union management approaches beyond neutrality are being developed and built into Groundswell’s organizational culture. Our goal is to be a sector model on how the unionization process can be a valuable tool in living our values. Groundswell is a proud pro-worker and pro-union organization! #ProUnion #GroundswellFund #GroundswellActionFund #CBA

Open Horizon is thrilled to feature yet another inspiring Black leader with Lauren Simmons. Lauren was part of the inaugural cohort of the Ignite the South leadership development program* which launched early in 2023. Today she says, “A year ago, I couldn’t have envisioned this.” Today, Lauren, who lives in Houston, is campaigning to be state representative in Texas’s 146th district. ? Lauren credits Ignite the South (ITS) with helping her to reach this point in her development as a leader. When asked what has shifted for her in the last year, she said: “Being comfortable with my discomfort, and really being able to lean into my growth edges...[Ignite the South] was an opportunity for me to look at my full self...to not just think about me as an organizer, but myself as a supervisor, an individual and human being, and also what legacies I am crafting, how am I building leaders to work myself out of a job...Without that opportunity I would not have been able to really take an honest assessment of where I needed to grow, where I feel most comfortable, and how I was caring for myself in the midst of all of this work.” ? When asked what aspects of the ITS leadership program made a difference, she pointed to the holistic approach, to centering knowledge of self, practicing self-care and doing active self-examination via coaching. She named the phenomenal mentors she met in the ITS facilitators, people who shared their humility and their ongoing self-work on their own growth edges, as well as the group of fellow participants who became like family. She also named the experiential learning opportunities and the focus on understanding context that was present in all in-person programming. ? Lauren’s commitment to improve the lives of others in her community is an inspiration to us at Open Horizon. Her desire to create a ladder for those who come after her, and her desire for them to move beyond where she is, exemplifies the kind of leadership that we seek. ? Musing on whether she’ll make it beyond the March 5th primary, Lauren said that regardless of what happens, “We made an impact.” And we can only underline this: Lauren has already made a positive impact through her tireless work as an organizer, her desire to improve the lives of others, and her modeling thoughtful, positive, inclusive leadership for all who are watching. Learn more about Lauren and follow her journey to state representative here: laurenashleysimmons.com ? *Ignite the South is a leadership development program facilitated by Imagine Us LLC. * www.ignitethesouth.com #blackleader #leadershipdevelopment #changemaker #houston #communityimpact

Had an incredible long weekend in Puerto Rico with the rest of the Southern Vision Alliance board and staff. We spent our time planting seeds for strategic priority setting, facilitated by the great Allison Porter. Excited to see the positive impact SVA's efforts will have on the South as the largest grassroots intermediary in the region. #teamwork #strategicplanning #communityimpact #nonprofit #philanthropy