The AFSC Michigan Criminal Justice Program hosted a Vision Board Event on May 17, 2025 in collaboration with women inside the Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
Those who attended took part in making their own vision boards, as well as collaborating on the over 170 individual vision boards meant for each woman registered for the partner event inside prison. Additionally, we had delicious food provided by Chef Nina Shahin, who incorporated North African and Middle Eastern recipes to unite us in solidarity with the people of Palestine, Sudan, and beyond.
Our partners inside prison celebrated their Visions at the end of May and early June in various ways throughout the prison. This included receiving an individual vision board made for them by those who attended the event and AFSC staff, as well as a vision board booklet for inspirational messages and images to help them realize their visions.
This event was an incredible success, and generated immense positivity for these women. We want to take a moment to share with you their quotes of gratitude. For privacy reasons, the quotes will be attributed to their initials:
• "Thank you for sending me the stuff for the vision board, I really do love it. All of us from Women Huron Valley appreciate this a lot. God bless you." - JO
• "Saying thank you is just not enough. My heart is so warmed by your random act of kindness. Things like this are the reason I maintain faith in humanity. I freakin' love my board!!!" - AP
• "I just wanted to say thank you for my vision board. The vision board was absolutely beautiful and quite accurate I might add. I just wanted to show my appreciation, thank you so much." - MS
• "Wow!! I love it. I'm having a hard time articulating how much that meant to me. To know that someone who has never met me can do such a kind and selfless gesture. Thank you" - TB
• "Thank you so much this board made my day. What you guys are doing is such a great thing I see all the joy this brings to women in here. Keep up the great work!" - SA
• "Thank you so so much for the vision board and thinking of me!! It really brightened my day when I checked my Jpay and I seen it!! :) I loved it!! I printed 2 copies out, 1 for me and 1 for my Mom. Thank you again!!! " - JM
• This is so amazing. I really do like the vision board that was created for me. I am going to print this off and laminate it a place it inside my vision book. You all really rock!! Myself and others are very appreciative of the work that AFSC does for us inside and outside of here. Thank you for your support. I look forward to meeting you one day and helping out in anyways that I can. Keep up the good work." - LS
Additionally, we want to share a passage and reflection on the in prison Vision Board event, written by one of the women organizing for her unit:
"What a beautiful Sunday it has been! A day of Community Visioning. These are the moments I truly wish I could record and send to you so you can share with the world. Every woman participated in their own way.
"We each made individual contributions to a community year book for the next class of college students to come after us. Words of wisdom, Lessons learned, Encouragement to push through when it seems too hard. I placed each individual board into a binder to keep as a year book for the next students to review when they need some sunshine. And when they need ideas on how to keep their community together!
"Every woman also wrote on individual sticky notes that we then placed on the AFSC Board in the dayroom for everyone to see when they are standing at the microwave cooking something to eat. Positive Vibes. I will send you each of the individual words used to express gratitude for this amazing day. For now I am continuing to work on my personal visioning. I am so grateful for this day. Thank you and everyone at AFSC who helped to make this possible. Ever grateful I am. " - TLCH
We are interested in making this a recurring event to help keep generating power and movement for liberation for the women inside the Huron Valley. Stay tuned for more power building and narrative change events from AFSC!