Who We Are

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to empower survivors of sexual violence to transform their stories into powerful forces for education and inspiration. Through creativity and shared experiences, we equip survivors, allies, and advocates with the skills they need to create meaningful change that drives healing and fuels advocacy.

OUR VISION:

Reimagining the approach to sexual violence services in order to serve the whole person and raise awareness so we can create more just and peaceful communities.

OUR PURPOSE:

Silent No Longer Tennessee was founded in 2018 by a two-time adult survivor of sexual assault, driven by the belief in the transformative power of survivor voices, whether expressed through words or art. Our purpose is to empower survivors of sexual violence—of every background and identity—to find and use their voices as powerful instruments of healing and education. Through creative expression and skill-building programs, we equip survivors and allies with the skills required to transform lives, uplift communities, and inspire lasting change.

OUR COMMITMENT

OUR PLEDGE:

Every member of our Board of Directors and Executive Committee, as well as our CEO have agreed to the following pledge:

As a Board or Executive Committee member, I pledge to:

Fulfill my roles and responsibilities outlined in Board and Executive Committee Policies;
Adhere to the norms set form for board meetings;
Support the executive director in his/her executive role;
Respect, support and adhere to the Bylaws, Policies, Operations, and Board decisions;
Conduct myself in a spirit of collegiality and respect for the collective decisions of the Board and subordinate my personal issues to the best interests of Learning Forward;
Honor confidentiality regarding discussions, comments, and deliberations; and
Exercise the above responsibilities at all times and with due diligence, care, and skill in a reasonable and prudent manner.
Conduct myself in a spirit of collaboration and respect for the collective decisions of the Board and Executive Committee.
Honor confidentiality regarding discussions, comments, and deliberations.
Exercise the above responsibilities at all times and with due diligence, care, and skill in a reasonable and prudent manner.

As employees, directors, and executive committee members of Silent No Longer Tennessee, we accept the responsibility of earning and upholding the trust of sexual assault victims and survivors, the citizens of Tennessee, our partnering organizations, funders, and supporters. To honor this trust, we must remain committed to respecting all members of the communities we serve, conducting ourselves with integrity, taking full accountability for our actions, and accepting any associated consequences.

As professionals and representatives of Silent No Longer Tennessee, we have an obligation to act in a manner that upholds the ethical success of our organization. As advocates for both the organization and survivors of sexual assault, we are equally responsible for engaging in activities that enhance our mission’s value and credibility.

Our Commitment:

We are dedicated to:

Acting honestly, truthfully, and with integrity in all transactions and interactions.
Avoiding conflicts of interest and appropriately addressing any actual or perceived conflicts.
Treating all individuals with dignity and respect, including grantees, employees, and community members.
Ensuring fairness, respect, and good faith in our treatment of employees while maintaining working conditions that protect their rights and well-being.
Complying with both the spirit and the letter of the law as responsible corporate citizens.
Acting in the best interests of the communities we serve.
Upholding transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct in all our actions.
Continuously improving the effectiveness of our programs in achieving organizational goals.
Adhering to the highest standards of ethical and professional behavior.
Striving for excellence in service, performance, and social responsibility.
Advocating openly and constructively within appropriate forums to influence decision-making and drive meaningful change.
Accompanying victims to interviews when no victim services advocates are available.
Providing referrals to community resources, including legal assistance and attorney referrals.
Protecting the confidentiality of clients by safeguarding personal information, which will only be released upon receiving written consent from the client.

By upholding these principles, we reaffirm our dedication to ethical leadership, responsible advocacy, and unwavering support for survivors of sexual assault.

BELIEFS AND VALUES

BELIEFS:

We believe that freedom from violence against our bodies is a fundamental human right which can only be achieved through awareness, education, open and honest dialogue and the legislative process. We believe in providing sexual assault survivors with opportunities to share their story and make their voices heard. We believe in treating all individuals with dignity, compassion and respect, and working for equality and empowerment of all.

CORE VALUES:

Human Rights - We recognize freedom from sexual violence is a basic human right.

Confidentiality and Personal Safety- We respect confidentiality and a sense of personal safety. All staff members, volunteers, clients and partnering organizations are dedicated to providing an atmosphere of emotional, verbal and physical non-violence, and to keeping the identity of our clients confidential.

Dignity and Respect - We understand that all individuals have inherent worth and should be treated with respect and dignity at all times regardless of their race, gender, religion, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, age or socioeconomic status.

Collaboration - We strive to make our communities a safer place through the eradication of sexual violence. We welcome opportunities to collaborate with other organizations in order to achieve these goals.

Equity - We believe all survivors of sexual violence deserve to have access to services regardless of where they live. We are dedicated to providing services in communities that are traditionally underserved.

Accountability - We believe victims of sexual violence deserve compassionate care, understanding and justice, and that all perpetrators of sexual violence should be held accountable for their crimes. We are dedicated to advocating for any systematic changes required to ensure all victims are treated fairly by the legal and judicial system, and the medical community, and that our judicial system treat all perpetrators equally regardless of social status, title, race, religion, ethnicity, education, age, gender, disability, age or economic means.

We believe we should be held accountable to the people and communities we serve. (see Accountability and Transparency Policy)

CODE OF CONDUCT

BELIEFS AND VALUES

SNLT employees, volunteers, board and committee members shall treat all individuals with compassion, respect and dignity regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status or political affiliation. They shall conduct themselves with honor and integrity at all times and adhere to the following standards:

No employee, volunteer, board, committee, associate or executive member, contractor, vendor or partnering agency member shall engage in the following behavior:

Use offensive slurs or epithets;
Post hateful, violent, inflammatory comments or imagines in public spaces.
Ridicule any employee, member or volunteer, whether in public or in private, or intentionally misrepresent the opinions or actions of any employee, member of volunteer;
Spread rumors or libel any employee, member, volunteer or organization;
Release in whole or in part any information discussed within board or committee meetings; whether the information was discussed during in person meetings, video/audio meetings, in emails or in Facebook groups or messages; unless the board or committee chair has explicitly said the information is for release outside the confines of the SNLT.
Post any derogatory, inflammatory or sexually explicit comments or images in public spaces;
Threaten, harass, intimidate, coerce or bribe any employee, member or volunteer to obstruct the work of SNLT or to vote in a certain manner;
Make any inappropriate or threatening physical contact with any employee, member, volunteer, contractor, vendor or partnering agency member;
Make any lewd, suggestive or sexually explicit advances or comments, make requests for sexual favors, exhibit photos which are sexually suggestive or engage in any physical or verbal behavior which are sexual in nature while representing SNLT in an official capacity;
Retaliate against any employee, member or volunteer who reported violations of this code of conduct;
Advocate for, or encourage any of the above behavior.