The Aurora Now Foundation: Diversity, Community & Systems Thinking

About Patrick & Sherryl Stalinski

Mission:
To raise personal and social awareness and responsibility by inspiring people—especially young people—to use their unique skills, perspectives and gifts in a collaborative way; to creatively address complex, interconnected problems from a more holistic perspective. And through this collaboration, to help youth, their families, organizations and communities co-create healthy and sustainable futures.

Purpose:
For the research, education and celebration of human and ecological community.

Vision:
We envision a world in which uniqueness and differences are celebrated with courtesy, where all individuals see themselves as a special and valuable contributor to the holistic health of our human family and the natural systems which sustain us.

Core Values:
Human diversity is visible in areas of culture, social and economic circumstance, faith and spirituality, physical abilities and challenges, age, knowledge, values and individual talents and skills. We celebrate human diversity in all its forms.
We recognize that each of us, as unique and creative individuals, are part of a synergetic whole comprised of our personal lives, our families, communities and world. We are a part of each other and a part of all that is, and with that awareness we encourage a respectful relationship to the natural systems which sustain us.
We believe that human diversity should be amplified and celebrated through support of life-long learning in order to gain the most benefit of our individual and unique contributions and thus enable the success of our species and the sustainment of all others.

Methods:
Through Internet initiatives and real-world experiential programs, to provide education, support and inspiration in all areas which fulfills the individual's goal of becoming a unique and creative part of a larger whole. To educate and inspire youth, families and individuals in understanding our roles as global citizens, the value of diversity and how our differences can be transcended and used as a tool for collaboration. To be a visible example of the optimum results which come synergistically through collaboration by inviting cooperative efforts with other organizations.

Aurora Now's Board of Directors is especially grateful to Steve Brant, Rolland Smith and members of our Internet discussion list for their input and feedback in writing these words. They are as relevant today as they were at our founding in 1998.