In Phase One: Lifting Your Voice, visionaries begin with a robust but extremely beneficial intake process. While intake tasks can often feel tedious or frustrating, the Vision 8 team goes above and beyond to make sure that our Visionaries feel supported, comfortable and excited about this first step as an important part of their journey. Intake begins with an enrollment application, informational interview, Beck Depression Intake Inventory, a comprehensive skills assessment and a Vision mapping exercise. The initial application and interview help us to understand why someone has chosen Vision 8, what challenges/barriers they face, and what wrap around supports/ resources/ partners can be incorporated into their “Vision Service Plan”. The skills assessment that is taken by all clients at the start of Phase 1, is also readministered as a Post-test at the end of Phase 3, to measure and demonstrate growth. The skills assessment is a combination of a) reading/writing/math questions to determine current academic competency levels b) computer and digital literacy questions, and c) a variety of real-world and work related scenario based questions to assess transferable (aka “soft”) skills. After completing the assessment, attending an informational interview and completing a Vision Mapping session, our visionaries review and sign the Personal Vision Service Plan they co-created throughout their intake process. Typically all Personal Vision Service Plans include a component of each program area (degree depending on their need): Digital Literacy Accelerator, Financial Wellness, and Career Incubator

In Phase Two: Realizing Your Vision, our cohort of visionaries follow the course schedule and personal wellness routes previously designed in their Personal Vision Service Plan. Before all classes start, at the beginning of phase two, visionaries attend a one-week orientation that provides the cohort with critical space and time to cultivate a collective culture of care. Orientation includes team building activities, personal reflection exercises, journaling, and case study group analyses, which allow for visionaries to assess, analyze and decide how they react to various conflicts. In phase two, each visionary is paired with a wellness sister/partner within their cohort. The pairs serve as accountability partners and peer coaches for one other. They learn and discuss each other’s Personal Vision Service Plan, they check in with one another regularly, and they support one another in thinking through and making it through challenges that arise. This Phase includes all core Vision 8 coursework, which, depending on the current state of required/recommended local operations due to COVID-19, will likely include a combination of in-person and digital experiences. (We will not allow this to be a barrier to participation—If any digital learning is required, all visionaries who need a device, must be supported with a chrome book/laptop and access to wifi or a hotspot.)

Phase Three: Walking Your Path is what is more commonly referred to in workforce development as a follow up stage. However, we believe that continued development, support and communication in this phase, after intense programming, is critical to our visionaries’ long term success. It is during this phase that each visionary is taking the skills, lessons, and personal growth they’ve made with us and applying it to a world full of challenges and opportunities. Visionaries in Phase Three are invited to continue checking in with program staff and peers and attend virtual or in-person Vision 8 community workshops or events at least quarterly. Visionaries in this phase are specifically supported (as needed) with additional interview/job search preparation, professional coaching opportunities and continued therapeutic support.