1.
Writing a Vision Statement Meeting Agenda
(50 minutes)
Purpose of activity:
Thisis an exercise tohelpyourcoalitioncreate asharedideaaboutwhatyou hope to accomplish
together.
A visionstatementisasentence,orupto a few sentences,thatsetsoutyourultimate goal andshows
the meaningfulnessof yourworkto the world.A visionstatementshouldhighlightyourcoalition’s
aspirationsforthe kindof change you wantto achieve andprovide motivationforotherstojoinyour
cause.
Materialsneeded:
 Flipchart
 Markers
Part 1: Sharing your ideas(20 minutes)
Have a large groupdiscussionaboutthe followingquestions.Write youranswersonaflipchart.
 What is the mission of our coalition?
 What values, beliefs or other important ideas do we want our work to reflect?
 What will happen if we are successful?
Part 2: Refiningyour ideas (10 minutes)
As a large group,lookoveryour flipchartsand highlightanykeywordsorphrases, orimportantideas,
whichyouwant to include inthe vision.Make note of anythemesthatemerge.
Part 3: Creating the vision(20 minutes)
Use the highlightedkeywordsandphrasestocome up withone to three sentencesthatdescribe:
 The importance of the issue you are addressing.
 What positive change you hope to see because you are addressing the issue.
 How everyone can be a part of the change you hope to see.
Tips:
 Use basic, clear language that everyone can understand. Avoid complicated words and
jargon.
 Keep it simple. A vision statement does not need to be long or fancy to be powerful.
 Thinkaboutwhetheryourvisionstatementwouldappealtodifferentkindof people.Who
wouldfeel excitedbyyourvisionstatement?Whomightfeel leftout?