2025 Year End Recap

It’s hard to believe that we are already closing out another year! 2025 has come and gone in a whirlwind that brought new projects, partnerships, and ideas into the Clear Language Lab. 

As we do every year, we’d like to share some of the highlights with you.

Responding to quickly changing times

The year began with policy changes in our nation that had us and many organizations looking for ways to adapt to new requirements yet still stay true to our values and mission. 

Our first blog of the year, tips for communicating in stressful times, turned out to be a foreshadowing of what would be a running theme for the year. We did our best to share how to successfully navigate through challenges while not compromising core values.

Launch of Organizational Health Literacy Toolkit

In April, we launched the Advancing Organizational Health Literacy Toolkit through a partnership with Cook County Department of Health. You can find the toolkit plus more information and resources at HealthLiterateCookCounty.org.

Strengthening and growth of partnerships

We were happy to continue relationships with many of our partners, like the Cook County Assessor’s Office and Evanston Community Foundation. But we were also pleased to make new connections with organizations including the Skokie Public Library and the Holocaust Museum and Education Center. 

Expanding our reach through trainings

This year we were kept busy facilitating trainings and webinars both virtually and in-person. In June, we ended our fiscal year 2025 with:

• 1000+ participants from nearly 400 organizations that attended webinars, conferences, presentations, or coaching sessions 

• 100% of survey respondents said the training they attended was relevant to their needs and would help them in their work with community members

Besides all our wonderful local partners across Illinois, we also provided tailored training to organizations across the country, including Hawai’i, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Texas.

Here are some highlights from some of our trainings this year:

• Melanie was chosen to participate in the American Association of Medical College’s Center for Health Justice’s second Multi-sector Partner Group cohort and traveled to DC in April 2025 for the launch event.

• In December, Sarah presented at the 2nd annual Language Access Summit led by Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita’s Office.

Looking ahead

With all that has been happening this year, we are already looking forward into 2026. One of the areas we are considering is generative AI and how it impacts plain language work and the services we provide. As we learn more, we will keep you informed.

We hope your 2025 was fruitful as well and look forward to sharing more from the Clear Language Lab in 2026!