As we look back on a year of celebrating and reflecting on IAM’s past, we want to take a moment to look forward and imagine what our next 25 years will look like. We know the work that we are doing continues to be relevant in today’s context – despite the progress made there is still so much more work to do to realise our vision of inclusive and affirming faith communities in Africa. IAM is uniquely positioned to take up these challenges, with our history, our vision and the strong partnerships we’ve forged. We’re committed to building on the tremendous work that we’ve done over the past 25 years to keep that forward momentum going, and further expanding our work to broaden the impact that we can have.
WHAT WE IMAGINE IAM’S FUTURE WILL LOOK LIKE
We are constantly reflecting and improving upon our work. IAM cultivates a culture of reflection with our staff and our partners, and we use the insights we gain to continually refine and expand our programs, trainings, and resources, including expanding into online learning platforms.
We are committed to making our work even more accessible. We are working on translating our resources into multiple languages so they can be used more widely, are interrogating the language that we use to make it clearer and more precise, and we’re developing new tools and refreshing old ones to spread the thinking more widely.
We are continuing to professionalise the running of IAM. We will dive more deeply into how we measure and quantify change in the coming years, as we conduct a baseline study and define how we are monitoring and assessing our impact. We will maintain the excellent systems and procedures that have been put into place that will grow with us as we expand.
We will expand our reach further. Through targeted partnerships and expanded Training of Trainers programs, we will increase the numbers of empowered, informed change agents who can take IAM’s mission into a wide variety of communities.
We are committed to transformation. As we have grown and evolved over the past 25 years, we will continue to transform as an organisation. Internally, we attract people to work with us for whom the work is more than just a job. We are more intentionally working with our staff to do the important internal work, creating spaces for dialogue and vulnerability. We mirror this commitment with our external partners, and always encourage and foster transformation in the spaces we hold.
We will remain flexible and learn from all of our challenges. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for flexibility in our operations, as well as the opportunities that can emerge when we stay open to possibilities. For example, the pandemic encouraged us to be more proactive in putting self-care systems in place for staff and to identify areas where some of our partners need additional support, even in “normal” times. We’ll continue to be flexible and adjust to the unforeseen realities that come our way.
Most importantly, we will remain true to IAM’s founding principles and our mission, staying grounded in our past even as we explore what’s next and remain open to possibilities. We look forward to seeing what the future will bring us, and invite you to continue the journey with us!
See IAM’s 25th Anniversary Report here.
