Pan Valley Institute Staff
Advisory Board
OUR VALUES
1. Knowledge and Problem Solving
We have faith in people’s capacity to solve their own problems and guide their individual learning and training. We believe in the dignity of every person’s experience and knowledge, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, culture, faith, education level, and language.
2. Immigrant Leadership
We value immigrants as thinking beings and encourage their development as social actors. We support grassroots activists who are struggling to find a place at the table, including women and youth, empowering them to have a greater social and political impact.
3. Consciousness Building
We believe that through collective and individual learning, sharing, reflection, and action, we can transform our communities to improve the world in which we live. At times, this will require breaking free of things we have traditionally been led to believe but that are holding us back; other times, it may require holding tightly to our traditions in the face of opposition.
4. Long-term Commitment
The work we are committed to is a long-term process and requires commitment, patience, time, and dedication. There is no immediate solution to the problems we face and are working to change.
5. Grassroots Democracy Participation
We want to develop communities that have control over the decisions that affect our lives. We believe that democracy is about the rights of all people to participate in civic life on their own terms.
6. Strength in Diversity
We promote the building of positive, respectful relationships that transcend the differences that can sometimes be divisive. We recognize the importance of sharing commonalities, as well as disparities, to find a shared agenda as the basis for mutual understanding and action.
7. Spontaneity
Rather than a blueprint agenda, we provide the necessary space and time to learn in a way that allows the process to unfold for participants. We encourage spontaneous discussions, and let concerns and issues take form, believing that they contribute to a sustained process of learning and change.
8. Multilingualism
We are committed to enabling the participatory learning of, and communication amongst, people who speak different languages.
9. Education for Action
In order to bring social change, we believe that the best education is action, and the best action is education. We hope to foster this education by providing a gathering place where people can learn from one another and conceptualize strategies and actions.
10. Appropriate Environment
We place great importance on our learning environment and its impact on participants’ ability to think, learn and act. We provide a comfortable space, adequate time, food, and attention to other details that encourage communication, creativity, and the building of relationships that are necessary for people to learn and work together.
