Organizational Updates

• Leadership Transition

This year we welcomed Kyle Meyaard-Schaap as our new ASJ-US Executive Director. He has demonstrated incredible dedication and passion for justice and the mission of ASJ. From visiting Honduras to traveling across the US, Kyle has been an amazing asset to the team and we are excited to continue seeing him grow and lead with the joy, empathy, and strength he has shown so far. 

• Moving Offices in Grand Rapids:

We have been in the process of moving to a permanent long-term home for our work in the US. Our goal has been to move to a new office space that aligns with our values, that is accessible, that better connects us with the U.S. Latino community living in Grand Rapids, and that will allow our collaborative work on systemic reform to flourish. We are thankful to the many supporters who have been a part of this process with us so far. If you would like to support, check out our office wishlist on our website: 

Equity Team Highlights

• Writing and sharing the equity story: 

Newer staff members were unaware of how the equity team came to be and the equity story that ASJ had been building for some time. Writing the equity story allowed our team to understand the impact of big moments in our equity journey with other staff members and sharing it openly with the team gave them a better understanding of where we stand and what our goals are. We also worked to identify the team's purpose, identity, membership, and goals in order to formalize the structure within ASJ. 

• Directly incorporating DEI into the budget: 

This year was the first we had a specific budget line item in which we made a plan for investing. It was shared with the team for accountability and it also included a portion for staff to share their input and ideas for investment to propel the work of DEI in our team. 

• Developing and implementing DEI annual goals: 

The team worked to develop and implement specific annual goals including making specific accommodations inside our new Grand Rapids office space to be welcoming and inclusive, communicating and representing the equity team goals and commitments within board spaces, and collaborating with and supporting other equity groups and organizations in our neighborhood.

Growth Goals

ASJ-US has set ambitious three and five year fundraising goals that will allow ASJ-Honduras’ to deepen their current work and grow into new and needed areas.

ASJ-US has identified the goal of developing justice education and advocacy programming in the US so that we can support the work of ASJ-H not only with our finances but also with our voices.