Our mission is to be a voice for the voiceless by fostering belonging, serving the community, advancing equality, and empowering youth.
About Us.
Volusia Pride is headquartered in Historic Downtown DeLand Florida. Our motto is "Crafting Positive Change'' because we strongly feel that through support, advocacy, and education we can empower our people to imagine and build a better, more equitable community. We use the word 'crafting' because, like the artist, our work is very hands on and nuanced. Our community is made up of many micro communities that experience the world from different perspectives but when brought together, they can build the framework that creates a world that is equitable for all.
Human rights are defined as the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe, or how you live your life. We believe that all people, regardless of their age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, ethnicity, race, creed, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, economic class, political affiliation, and veteran status has a unique perspective and deserves to have the same rights as all others. Simply put, we believe in Human Rights for all, not some.
To us, equality for all means that everyone has the freedom to live their truth without fear at home, at work, at school, and in the larger community. By empowering the next generation and creating space that models equitable behaviors, we can help today's youth to continue to build on the work we are doing today to create an equitable society.
Volusia County Pride Chapters
Our Strategic Priorities
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Fostering Belonging
Fostering Belonging focuses on creating an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and authentically welcomed. It emphasizes building a culture of connection and mutual support, ensuring that all members of our community can thrive and contribute meaningfully.
We embrace and celebrate diversity in identity, background, perspectives, and experiences, while fostering a safe environment where people feel free to express themselves without fear of judgment or exclusion. We strive to empower individuals through active participation and collaboration, building strong community relationships, and promoting equity by ensuring fair access to resources, opportunities, and support.
Our initiatives aim to amplify underrepresented voices, highlighting the importance of cultural competence, and creating accessible spaces.
Fostering belonging enhances individual well-being and strengthens collective creativity, cohesion, and resilience.
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Serving the Community
Serving the Community focuses on addressing the needs of the broader community by fostering meaningful relationships, delivering impactful programs, and leveraging resources to create positive change. It emphasizes collaboration with community members, organizations, and stakeholders to identify challenges and opportunities, ensuring that efforts are aligned with the community’s goals and values.
We promote civic engagement, encourage volunteerism, and support initiatives that improve quality of life, equity, and access to essential services. Our initiatives include building sustainable partnerships, empowering individuals and groups through education and advocacy, and creating opportunities for social, economic, and cultural development.
By prioritizing service to the community we demonstrate our commitment to being a positive force for change, strengthening trust and mutual support while enhancing the well-being and resilience in the communities we serve.
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Advancing Equality
Advancing Equality is centered on promoting fairness, equity, and justice for all individuals by addressing systemic barriers, reducing disparities, and ensuring equal opportunities for success.
We strive to create policies, programs, and initiatives that actively combat discrimination and bias, while fostering a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive regardless of their background, identity, or circumstances.
Advancing equality requires our commitment to understanding inequities across areas such as education, employment, healthcare, and civic participation. Our initiatives aim to amplify underrepresented voices, advocate for marginalized groups, and seek equitable access to resources and opportunities.
By prioritizing this work, we can be a part of creating a more just and inclusive society, where diversity is celebrated, and all individuals have the chance to reach their full potential.
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Empowering Youth
Empowering Youth focuses on equipping young people with the skills, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive and lead meaningful, impactful lives.
Our programs emphasize fostering confidence, resilience, and a sense of agency in youth, enabling them to take charge of their futures and contribute positively to their communities.
We strive to create accessible programs and initiatives that promote leadership development, education, mentorship, and personal growth, including addressing barriers that limit youth potential, such as inequality or lack of resources, and providing platforms for their voices to be heard and valued.
By cultivating a supportive environment where young people can explore their passions, build competencies, and form connections, empowering youth ensures the development of a generation capable of driving social progress and innovation.
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We understand that positive social change in Volusia County requires us to stand up for our beliefs, call out injustice, and never compromise our ethical principles.
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We believe that acceptance and equality for all is possible through community organization, good strategy, and combined resources.
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We understand that advancing equality in Volusia County is a complex and time-consuming endeavor requiring the commitment to stand with our community even in the face of adversity.
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We believe that new ideas and creativity are needed to bring about positive change in Volusia County.
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We believe that partnerships with people and organizations in Central Florida are the key to creating a world where everyone can enjoy the freedom to live safely, openly, and genuinely.
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We strive to create a community in which all people feel valued and respected and have access to the same opportunities by celebrating our differences and eliminating biases regardless of how subtle.
Our Values
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Humility is how we relate to ourselves and involves placing ourselves among others and in the world at large. Humility is not about making oneself small; it requires holding and exercising empathy and power with care and intentionality. Humility compels us to listen generously, remain curious, keep an open mind, and maintain a learning attitude. It calls us to be mindful of the needs, assets, interests, and expectations of others. It requires mindfulness of our individual and institutional privileges, the complicated power dynamics that extend beyond interpersonal relationships, and the need to center the voices and experiences of individuals and communities that have been historically marginalized.
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Respect is about showing regard and consideration for the dignity of others. It begins with self-awareness, recognition of the intrinsic value of others, and treating others how they want to be treated. It often involves an ongoing tension between maintaining our individual efficacy in pursuing a more just and equitable world and attempting to understand values, ideas, and behaviors that conflict with our own. When we disagree with others, respect means being hard on the issues but soft on the people. Respect compels us to recognize differences between people as valued assets, while acknowledging the visible, invisible, and intersecting dimensions of identity, power, and privilege. Inclusion requires us to actively challenge biases, stereotypes, and assumptions as we work toward equity.
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The principle of reciprocity rejects the notion of “service.” A reciprocal relationship with partners is characterized by interdependence; consideration of our collective strengths, knowledge, and capacity to influence others; and shared responsibility to work toward mutual benefit and growth. Reciprocity compels us to collaborate with community partners in the design, facilitation, and evaluation of our efforts to ensure value and relevance to all involved.
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Taking time to understand the social, ideological, economic, environmental, and historical contexts of our work is essential. Preparation requires researching information about the partner organizations and communities and developing awareness of past injustices and power differentials. It compels us to be flexible and willing to adapt to changing circumstances and to tap the knowledge and expertise of community partners before engaging in work in a community.
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Creating Positive change for our community starts with taking care of ourselves. This principle compels us to anticipate and take steps to ensure the physical and emotional safety and well-being of all participants. This principle also recognizes that our work can sometimes be both emotionally and physically draining and highlights the need for all stakeholders to practice self-care and manage time in the way that works best for them individually.
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Being accountable is about holding ourselves responsible for our actions and commitments. It is not about attaining all our goals and objectives to perfection, as much as it is about recognizing, negotiating, and taking ownership of outcomes within our reach and capacity. Accountability sustains trust and respect among individuals working toward shared goals. We hold ourselves accountable when we fulfill our roles and responsibilities to the best of our abilities and we acknowledge the impact our actions, inaction, and limitations have on others. Accountability compels us to accept our shortcomings with a spirit of humility and commit to redressing our mistakes.
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Evaluation involves qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the impact of our work. This principle compels us to be aware of and attend to the direct, indirect, and unintended results (positive or negative) of our service. This principle requires us to intentionally and creatively build in opportunities to gather regular feedback from community partners and participants to assess our values, refine our practices, and improve the quality of our work.
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Learning happens through a cycle of preparation, experience, and reflection. It is essential to make time and space for continual introspection as we engage in our work. This principle compels us to intentionally and creatively build in opportunities to reflect; involve community partners when possible; and acknowledge personal shifts in perspective, understanding, and attitudes.