As Deputy Director Elda Pineda is a driving force in planning, implementing, and writing our organization’s strategic plan. Strategic plans are communication documents that outline the goals, actions, and intended outcomes an organization is working towards in order to drive its mission forward. Here Elda tells us a bit about the process and what we have to look forward to as we map out the future of P.S. ARTS!
In 2020, P.S. ARTS completed a three-year strategic plan originally conceived as guidance for the years of 2017-2020. We thought we were building a clear and steady path to the future … and then came the pandemic. Instead of straightforward achievement of milestones and benchmarks, we jumped into remote programming, sourcing new supply chains for art supplies and doing anything and everything to make sure we could bring the arts to our students. We wanted to make good on the words we repeated at the end of every P.S. ARTS To Go! video, “No matter where you are, you have the freedom to imagine and the power to create.”
Looking back, the events of the past 18 months seemed like an upending of our carefully planned goals. However, they also ended up being a catalyst for new programs, new partnerships and new methods of reaching students and families. Taking the knowledge we’ve gained, we are embarking on strategic planning for the next three years. Our board, staff and community stakeholders will be working together over the course of the next 6 months to craft a new vision for the organization so that we can be stronger partners to the communities we serve.
One of the things I’m most excited about is the integration of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) plan into the overall strategic plan, now and in perpetuity. When we started the DEI process in 2018 and until now, the initiative ran alongside the strategic plan goals, but this move means that all organizational activities will be screened, developed, and evaluated through a DEI lens; an important step to ensuring that we continue to learn and stay aware.
Thank you to everyone who lightened our load by supporting us through the years, especially through the toughest ones. We look forward to sharing our new strategic plan!
