These last few days have been relentless. The evolution of the situation has taken us all by surprise, from the soaring number of people affected by the COVID-19 virus, to the interruption of an important part of the Quebec economy, to changes in our smallest daily habits; the distance between families, friends, neighbours and colleagues. It is now common wisdom; this crisis will change our world, our society and our way of life forever. 

Even "business as usual" is no longer "as usual". We now speak commonly about layoffs, restructuring, and are anticipating with dread the impact of this health and economic crisis on the poorest and most vulnerable of our societies, who are likely to experience a double jeopardy. While anxiety, social isolation and psychological distress are more visible today, it is only a matter of time before their root causes also emerge. The crisis only exacerbates the problems already present in our system. While being more than ever supportive of frontline health care workers, each one of us is unable to hide our current questionnings about the relevance of our roles - and responsibilities. 

In all humility, we, at Credo, don't have the answers either, and we are learning like everyone else how to navigate through this unprecedented uncertainty, without pretending that yesterday's solutions will apply to tomorrow's problems. 

Nevertheless, we believe that in these times of crisis, the time has come for our companies and organizations, whether public, social or private, to realize their full potential for action and impact on the social and environmental issues at the heart of our times - including those exacerbated by the current global pandemic. This means embracing bold and systemic visions of the social and environmental changes that need to be made - and that what was radical a few weeks ago should now serve as a basis for our exchanges and reflections. Let's hope that resilience and empathy will allow authenticity and coherence to find their way into the hearts of leaders and guide us towards a real way out of the crisis. 

Like many, our team has taken the time to absorb the shock over the last few days. More than ever, we believe it is our duty to pursue our mission, accelerate social change, and reach out to collaborators. And that at the very heart of the crisis, we must continue to work, to give us all the means to dream of a more inclusive and just world; to bring forth out of this crisis a new collective narrative, a real change of direction. 

In solidarity,

The Credo team

Photo by Giorgio Trovato