Challenge: The Middlesex County Education Association (MCEA) was at a pivotal moment in its organizational journey, seeking to deepen its commitment to inclusivity and shared leadership. The leadership team recognized the need to collectively reflect on their guiding values, internal culture, and long-term direction. They were ready to ask themselves difficult questions: What does it truly mean to be an inclusive organization? What principles should anchor our path forward? The goal was not to find immediate answers, but to build the courage and trust needed to begin a transformational journey together.
Offering & Process: Aminata co-conceptualized and co-facilitated a full-day, in-person visioning retreat alongside Sergio Venegas Gamboa. The design emphasized participatory and relational facilitation to create space for honest reflection, vulnerability, and dialogue. Through a sequence of guided exercises including storytelling rounds, systems mapping, and values clarification, MCEA leaders engaged in deep exploration of their organizational identity and future aspirations.
Results: The retreat marked a turning point for MCEA leadership. Participants did not leave with a finalized strategy or a fixed model but with something more enduring: a shared commitment to remain in the process. Leaders voiced a newfound sense of collective purpose and readiness to carry forward the work of inclusion, equity, and alignment. The retreat surfaced critical questions and tensions, and fostered the trust needed to address them over time.