A tailored approach to strategic planning for TGNC leaders
From Toi Washington-Reynolds
Faculty Member at Transgender Strategy Center
In partnership with Education, Training, and Research (ETR), TSC has designed a curriculum to walk transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) leaders through a strategic planning process with a trauma-informed lens. Reframing this process into vision planning, the NOVA Training seeks to foster long-term planning and sustainability to support community safety and wellness in the face of renewed attacks and extremism in the US.
The primary goal of NOVA is to foster an environment that is supportive and validating for TGNC individuals, empowering them to contribute positively towards a more inclusive and equitable society. This training series is designed specifically for TGNC-led organizations, providing them with the necessary skills, tools, and guidance they have specifically identified as essential for their development.
The aim of this series is to enhance the capacity of these organizations, their staff, and the communities they support to envision, name, and implement their mission and vision. NOVA plays a critical role in assisting with vision planning, helping TGNC-led organizations to strengthen their frameworks and execute their strategies effectively. Additionally, NOVA provides support to alleviate the burdens faced by overextended staff, contributing significantly to the organizational efforts. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by TGNC-led organizations, NOVA integrates strategies to combat burnout and facilitate change management into their training programs, thereby addressing the crucial needs of TGNC led organizations.
The developers of NOVA had the opportunity to pilot the training with WeCareTN, which is a non-profit organization in Memphis, Tennessee. Their mission is to “support Transwomen of color through education and empowerment with the goal that they have the same equity and quality of life as envisioned.”
Hear from Jasmine Tasaki, Founder and Executive Director of WeCareTN, about her experience in the pilot training of NOVA.
From Jasmine Tasaki
Executive Director at WeCareTN
As the Founder and Executive Director of a Black trans-led organization, I was not afforded the opportunities to create or model what vision or strategic planning looks like. The work we do causes us to be more reactive than proactive because the needs of the community are constantly evolving. We were in search of a way to sharpen our skill set of what we do, while also making decisions about what things we do not do, and what that referral process is. We are so thrilled that the NOVA program exists because it was the perfect blueprint for what we needed to do, to get to where we are trying to go.
This process had us lean-in to the “why” of our work, which is the nucleus of the vision planning process. Assessing and discussing the mission, vision, and values allowed us to ensure we all were on the same page culturally. We also had the space to ensure that what we wanted to communicate was well-defined in our statements. This made the vision planning a much easier process because the goals were clearer, and we were able to streamline the efforts. The icebreakers and activities built on each other and pulled at our brains to keep us on track.
We are always thinking about how we will be able to continue our services and this program dives into sustainability as an achievable practice. The tools provided were tangible and we were able to easily read and comprehend the language used throughout the entire process. The training dives deep into departments, roles, and responsibilities of the sustainability journey. The training also discusses contingency or crisis planning, which is something we never thought of. We will be able to use a lot of these practices and models in our day-to-day services and our short-term and long-term vision planning.
Receiving this training that meets our specific needs was a breath of fresh air and was the answer we did not know we needed. TSC and ETR have made this accessible to us and we are stronger because of NOVA. This is a training I strongly encourage trans-led and trans-focused organizations to be a part of.
To learn more about the NOVA training and its subsequent offerings, please reach out to TSC at info@transgenderstrategy.org.