Decade of change initiative
The NIMC’s Decade of Change Initiative
The NIMC’s Decade of Change Initiative is designed to fulfill the purpose of our organization. There are three fundamental goals that underlie the NIMC’s purpose. As stated in the NIMC’s Purpose Statement (see the homepage for a full description of our collective purpose), the three goals we seek to achieve are as follows:
First, the NIMC is aimed at fostering positive chances in our society by promoting the principles and spirit of multiculturalism, feminism, and social justice at the individual, group, organizational, and institutional levels.
Second, the NIMC is designed to stimulate transformative changes in the mental health and human service professions by promoting the principles and spirit of multiculturalism, feminism, and social justice in these fields.
Third, the NIMC works to assist mental health professionals and other human service providers in acquiring the types of multicultural competencies they need to work respectfully, effectively, and ethically among persons from diverse groups and backgrounds.
To achieve these goals requires the development and implementation of a strategic plan that is supported by the members of NIMC. Also, in light of the purpose and goals of the NIMC, it is clear that our strategies plans need to be intentionally aimed at fostering individual, organizational, and societal changes that promote a greater level of multicultural competence, social justice, peace, and sanity in our world.
To this end, the NIMC is in the process of developing and implementing a number of initiatives that fall within the scope of the “NIMC Decade of Change Project.” The Decade of Change Project is aimed at achieving the three goals stated above in ways that are consistent with the overall purpose of the NIMC.
It is expected that the Decade of Change Project will be an on-going and fluid change process that includes the development and implementation of new projects that are generated by on-going collaboration of NIMC members and other allies in the fields of counseling, psychology, and other mental health professions. To date, the Decade of Change Project includes the implementation of 6 initiatives that are currently sponsored by the NIMC. Although a more detailed description of these projects can be found on our website (see the links on the homepage) , we have listed them here for your convenience.
1. The National NIMC Tour to Promote Multicultural
2. Competence and Social Justice
3. The NIMC Student Mentoring/Early Career Leadership Development Project
4. The National Dialogue on Race, Justice and Peace
5. The NIMC CACREP Standards Revisions Review and Advocacy Project
6. The NIMC Leadership Project to Promote Changes in the American Counseling Association
7. The NIMC’s Initiative to Build Unity and Vision in the Counseling Profession
We invite all of you to review a more detailed description of these projects so that you may [a] become more familiar with the comprehensive nature of the NIMC’s Decade of Change Initiative and [b] consider which project you might be interested in joining in the future.
Thank you for your consideration and let’s continue to work together to transform our professionals as we strive to build a better world.
In the continuing struggle for justice, peace, and a greater level of sanity in our world,
Michael D’Andrea
NIMC Executive Director
