By Deborah Kimathi – Chief Executive Officer

As you may know, the Dignitas team has been working extremely hard over the last 12-18 months to refine our 2023-2028 strategy; Vibrant Schools, Thriving Children.  We’ve been intentional to make this a whole team process, and to ensure there is broadly shared ownership of new goals, excitement about our shared aspirations, and importantly, a shared value base as a foundation on which to build our work and impact.

In our whole team session, crafted to help us review existing values, we set out to use storytelling and shared reflection as a means of assessing if our current values were fit for purpose, and if not, what we might change.  Our existing values had served us well for at least seven years, but a lot has changed in our programming, and we wondered if our new growth trajectory called for a fresh approach.

Team members shared the stories and interactions that had most impacted them whilst working at Dignitas.  We asked everyone to reflect on which experiences (either with each other, with communities, or with school partners) had resonated most strongly with our vision and mission.  We then reflected on personal values and sought to identify where there was intersection between our values and our experience at work.

As a result, we agreed upon an exciting set of five new organisational values.

We are passionately purpose-driven. 

Our whole team operates from a very basic commitment to impact; our work is only meaningful if it is impactful in the heart of the communities in which we work.  As a result, we are laser-focused on vision and mission to ensure that every child gets the education they deserve, with the opportunity to attend a vibrant school in which they thrive and succeed.  For this to become a reality, at scale and reaching the furthest behind children, our team will consistently pursue excellence.

We co-create solutions

with schools, communities, and system actors.  We recognise the wisdom in the age-old African proverb; “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” We know that if we walk hand in hand with schools, communities and system actors we will go further, together.  This is also an important way for us to ensure the voices of lived experience are at the heart of our work, informing every decision, whether seemingly big or small.  Our core programming invests in schools and leaders who are already working extremely hard to transform their community.

We find joy in our work,

our team, and our communities.  Given the urgency of the education crisis, we must be bold, but kind.  We believe we will succeed by seeking out, and building on the strength that is already at the heart of our schools and communities.  In doing so, we will begin to address the education crisis by strategically leaning on each other’s experience and expertise; always taking time to celebrate Dignitas School Leaders’ passion, success and influence.

We are always listening and learning.

There is always more to learn, and it is by leaning on data, and constantly seeking to be informed by evidence that we will continue to refine our programming, and stay relevant in emerging trends.  We are committed to leaning on data to drive innovation, inform our agility, and guide our growth.  To do this well, our conversations and actions must be centred on empathy, with the backdrop of ensuring our team, our school partners, and communities thrive.

We found partnerships in trust and transformative impact.

For this to happen, we must consistently act with integrity, always offer transparency, and on that basis build credible relationships and ensure credible impact.

With these five values driving our strategic commitments, we are confident that we can make a valuable contribution that transforms teaching and learning for all children.

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