Who We Are

MISSION STATEMENT

BELIEFS AND VALUES

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to support and advocate for survivors of sexual assault, gender based violence and discrimination through the creation of safe spaces for survivors to share their story in creative ways, and to provide survivors, allies and advocates the skills required to organize and advocate for themselves and others, and educate our communities about sexual and gender based violence and the impact it has on the community.

VISION STATEMENT:

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.

REASON FOR BEING:

Silent No Longer Tennessee was established in 2018 by our founder, a two time adult survivor of sexual assault. We believe in the power of survivor voices, whether it is audible, visual or physical. Our focus is to empower victims of sexual violence - regardless of their race, age, ability, religion, income level or immigration status - to find and use their voice as a tool for personal healing, as well as healing and educating their communities. By providing creative expression programs and training services, we provide survivors and their allies with the tools and skills needed to transform their lives, the lives of others and their communities.

OUR COMMITMENT

BELIEFS AND VALUES

MISSION STATEMENT

As employees, directors and executive committee members of Silent No Longer Tennessee, we have chosen to accept the responsibility of earning the trust of sexual assault victims and survivors, the citizens of Tennessee, partnering organizations, our funders and our supporters. In order to honor the trust that has been placed in us, we must remember our obligation to respect all members of the communities we serve, ensure we conduct ourselves with honor and integrity, take full responsibility for our actions and accept any consequences associated with those actions.

As professionals and representatives of Silent No Longer, we are obligated to act in a manner which contributes to the ethical success of the organization. As advocates for Silent No Longer and sexual assault victims and survivors, we are equally obligated to engage in activities that enhance the value and credibility of ourselves and our mission.

We are committed to:

- Acting honestly, truthfully and with integrity in all our transactions and dealings

- Avoiding conflicts of interest

- Appropriately handling actual or apparent conflicts of interest in our relationships

- Treating our grantees fairly;

- Treating every individual with dignity and respect

- Treating our employees with respect, fairness and good faith, and providing conditions of employment that safeguard their rights and welfare

- Being a good corporate citizen and complying with both the spirit and the letter of the law

- Acting responsibly toward the communities in which we work and for the benefit of the communities that we serve

- Being responsible, transparent and accountable for all of our actions

- Improving the accountability, transparency, ethical conduct and effectiveness of the nonprofit field.

- Adhering to the highest standards of ethical and professional behavior.

- Continuously measuring the effectiveness of our programs in contributing to or achieving organizational goals.

- Complying with the law.

- Working consistently with the values of the profession.

- Striving to achieve the highest levels of service, performance and social responsibility.

Advocating openly and within the established forums for debate in order to influence decision-making and results.

We are committed to assisting and advocating for victims of sexual assault. That includes:
- Accompanying victims to interviews when no victim services advocates are available

- Providing referrals to other community resources

- Assisting with attorney referrals - Accompanying victims to interviews when no victim services advocates are available

- Protecting the personal information of clients by maintaining confidentiality. Information can only be released after we receive written person from the client

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.