Between August 11 and 13, the Raízes SD team gathered in Santo Antônio do Leite (MG) for a very special meeting: our second immersion of 2025. These were days of exchange, affection, and inspiration, filled with good conversations, delicious food, outdoor walks, and reflections on who we are, what we have already built, and where we want to go.
The welcoming scenery of the Minas Gerais mountains was the perfect backdrop for us to reconnect as a team, align our visions, and strengthen our bonds.
Looking back on the past and looking ahead to the future
One of the highlights of the Immersion was the exercise of revisiting Raízes’ 20 years, which will be officially celebrated in 2026. On a large timeline, we recorded projects, partnerships, initiatives, achievements, and even the challenges that marked our journey. Each memory was an invitation to gratitude and recognition of all the people who have been part of our history.
While we remember the past, we also plan for the future. In conversation circles and group activities, we reflect on where we want to go as an organization, how we can further improve our practices, and how to strategically include our 20th anniversary celebrations in our planning.
It was an exercise in dreaming together and also in designing concrete paths to make that future a reality.
Shared reflections and renewed energy
Another powerful moment was the World Café, where we focused on the lessons learned from previous projects. We talked about mistakes, successes, and what each experience taught us. Because we believe that only by looking carefully and generously at our own stories can we evolve consistently.
We also revisited our governance, our working groups and committees, and made practical commitments for the next steps. Between activities, we toasted the evenings with wine, shared tables laden with Minas Gerais delicacies, ventured on walks through the historic center and even to the waterfall.
The immersion ended with a closing circle full of affection and hopeful looks. We left Santo Antônio do Leite with warm hearts, inspired minds, and the certainty that we are together on a journey of impact, purpose, and transformation.
After all, if Raízes’ first 20 years have already brought us so many stories, we have no doubt that the next ones will be even more powerful.
