VALUES AND VOLUNTEER BOUNDARIES POLICY

We are thrilled to have volunteers (including board members and interns) who are ready to engage with our refugee and immigrant clients who are working to pursue their individual goals on the path to self-sufficiency. Each person plays an important role in this work, increasing the capacity of the organization and positively impacting our clients’ lives, aiding their long-term integration. However, even the best of intentions can inadvertently cause misunderstanding, confusion, or even harm. We want to ensure that all relationships between staff, AmeriCorps members, contractors, volunteers, and clients are professional, healthy, and safe for everyone involved. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone working in any capacity with ReEstablish Richmond must understand and abide by the following guidelines.

LIVING OUR VALUES

ReEstablish Richmond works hard to ensure that every choice is made with our values in mind. We witness these values in our clients and community partners, and we strive to mirror them back to the families and individuals who inspire us every day.

Our Mission: Connecting refugees and new immigrants to the resources needed to establish roots, build community, and become self-sufficient

Our Vision: A community where all are united for the welcome and well-being of newcomers

Our Values:

WELCOME

We believe that strong communities are created when newcomers are genuinely welcomed to belong. We want to be intentionally inclusive, celebrating differences and creating a safe space for those who have lived in fear.

We stand against racism, intolerance, and discrimination in any form.

EQUITY + JUSTICE

We believe that the same opportunities should be available to everyone, everywhere. We acknowledge the disparities and oppression faced by refugee and immigrant communities and seek to amplify their voices while pursuing wholistic solutions.

We advocate with refugees and immigrants, designing our services to reduce the barriers that prevent them from accessing community resources.

EMPOWERMENT + SELF-DETERMINATION

We believe that people make the best decisions for themselves when they understand their options and have the support they need to take the next step. We see, value, and empower the whole person and strive to practice active-listening, to meet our clients where they are.  

We are committed to connecting refugees and immigrants to life building tools/resources and walking beside them to identify and work toward their goals. 

COMMUNITY

We believe that refugee and immigrant voices matter, that they possess a wealth of knowledge and experiences, and that empowerment of our newest neighbors is both good for Richmond and good for refugees and immigrants. 

We strive to create opportunities for connection and education between local Richmonders and newcomers – building knowledge, fostering community, and enriching everyone.

RESPECT FOR HUMAN DIGNITY + WORTH

We believe that every human life is equal and worthy of respect and that every person needs to feel accepted, seen, and heard.

We strive to protect and promote the human dignity and individual, cultural, and spiritual identities of our clients. Although many of us are individually motivated by our faith to do this work, we are not a faith based organization, and we value and respect the diverse faith systems of our clients and community partners.

AUTHENTICITY

We believe that our clients are entitled to be their authentic selves, and we want to be authentic about who we are so that we can communicate openly and honestly with one another.

We recognize that the majority of our leadership, staff, and volunteer base does not mirror our clients, so we strive to practice self awareness and constantly reflect on our privileges in order to ensure that our processes and programming will center the voices and experiences of refugees and immigrants.

COLLABORATION

We believe that working together is better than working alone, and cooperating with local organizations and individual volunteers can help make Richmond a better, more welcoming place for everyone. 

We are committed to building partnerships across the community, supporting one another’s efforts and increasing the chances of our clients’ success.

INTEGRITY

We believe that trust-building requires accountability, humility, honesty, and fairness. 

We make sure that our practice is consistent with what we say we value and that it makes room for continuous learning, growing, and improving.

FLEXIBILITY

We believe that valuing and centering refugee and immigrant voices means that we continue to respond by adapting our programs and practices in innovative, sustainable ways. We value our freedom as an independent, local, community organization to do so. 

We strive to identify and fill systemic gaps that hinder refugee and immigrant communities from meeting their needs. As a nimble organization with a firm foundation, we keep our focus on the humans who need our services, while acknowledging our limitations and navigating the space between our clients’ various traditions and cultures, their ever-changing needs, and available community resources.

SETTING BOUNDARIES 

The primary concern in establishing and managing boundaries is to uphold the values of ReEstablish Richmond and the best interests of our clients. 

Confidentiality 

Respecting and protecting the privacy of our clients is integral to the work of ReEstablish Richmond. It is imperative that all volunteers treat as confidential all information about clients or former clients and their families that is learned during the performance of duties with ReEstablish Richmond. This includes posting about clients on social media. Disclosing personal information about a client to anyone outside ReEstablish Richmond staff without explicit permission from the client is in direct opposition to this policy.  

All representatives of ReEstablish Richmond are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all proprietary or privileged information to which they are exposed while serving as with the organization, whether this information involves a staff member, AmeriCorps member, volunteer, client, or other person or involves the overall business of ReEstablish Richmond. Personal and financial information is confidential and should not be disclosed or discussed with anyone without permission or authorization from the Executive Director of ReEstablish Richmond. All staff, AmeriCorps members, contractors, and volunteers (including board members and interns), are expected to return all materials containing privileged or confidential information at the time of separation from employment or expiration of service. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential or privileged information, failure to return ReEstablish materials, and failure to maintain confidentiality are all actions that seriously violate of this policy.  

Patience 

It is common for new members to be so eager and excited about the opportunity of working with our client communities that they jump into clients’ lives, eager to “fix” what’s “wrong” instead of taking time to get to know one another and letting the client determine what is important to them. Authentic relationships develop slowly. Be patient. Be faithful to turn up when you’ve promised, do the hard work of supporting the client in working toward the goals they’ve identified, and allow the client to get to know you as a person. Over time, whatever the connection becomes will be genuine on both sides. Our clients are human beings, and no one wants to feel like your project. 

Networking 

As volunteers get to know client individuals and families, you may find it natural to want to introduce them to your own family and friends. However, if you want to introduce someone to the client for the purpose of adding another helping relationship (English tutor, mentor partner, etc.), it is imperative that you ask the head of the client family and consult our staff so that the person can be invited to attend a volunteer orientation and training in order to honor our program processes and provide appropriate resources and support.

Cultural Awareness, Respect, and Humility 

Culture is the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Cultural awareness is being aware that cultural differences and similarities between people exist without assigning them a value – positive or negative, better or worse, right or wrong. Cultural respect is understanding and accepting these differences, without trying to change them. Cultural humility is practicing ongoing curiosity and being open to learning from another’s culture. While interacting with ReEstablish Richmond clients, it is common for volunteers to feel frustrated when a client’s decisions and/or goals are culturally informed. Volunteers must continually remind themselves that newcomers are the experts in their own lives and are fully capable of making decisions that are in their best interest, regardless of whether those decisions make sense within the volunteer’s cultural context.  

Gifts  

Many cultural differences exist around gift giving. Some cultures may find it embarrassing to accept gifts and do not want to feel indebted to someone else. Other cultures practice the giving and receiving gifts as a natural expression of hospitality. Volunteers should never assume an understanding of a client’s beliefs surrounding gifts. Care should be taken to avoid both giving/receiving gifts with more than token value because it risks changing the nature of the relationship. More importantly, giving gifts to clients has the potential of setting a precedent and creating a system of dependency rather than contributing to self-sufficiency. It can also lead to misunderstandings or expectations of special treatment. ReEstablish Richmond will occasionally accept in-kind donations from community members and organizations. If you would like to donate an item with more than token value to a client, we recommend that you do so anonymously. It can be given to ReEstablish Richmond with the request that it be donated to the individual or family in need.  

Competence 

It is very important that volunteers do not make commitments or promises to clients for services that are outside of our programming or your area of competence. Refugees and new immigrants are faced with navigating multiple foreign systems that they do not understand, including healthcare, social services, public transit, the driver’s license process, housing, employment, and education. At times, clients can be so overwhelmed with new information and experiences that they need a lot of extra help to understand their rights and responsibilities within each system and to complete basic tasks. If they do not receive enough information or support from professional channels, they may ask anyone who seems kind and helpful. However, if you try to help a client outside of our programming or your area of competence, you may end up causing more confusion for them. If you have questions, our staff is here to help. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll do our best to research the situation and learn together. 

Clear Communication 

Communication and social cues are very different across cultures. For example, in the United States, it is common to make statements like “See you soon” as a way of saying good-bye. Although intended to be polite, these statements can be taken literally, and newcomers will hear them as promises or definitive invitations to meet again. It is important that all representatives of ReEstablish Richmond realize that making these statements can cause clients to wait for that phone call or show up at a meeting place expecting you to be there. Clear communication is an ever-present human challenge, even for people within the same culture. To minimize confusion, disappointment, and frustration and to build client understanding, participation, and trust, all volunteers should be mindful of potential differences in communication. Use simplified wording, and keep your messages as direct, clear, and succinct as possible.  

Harassment 

A respectful work environment is essential to the wellbeing of all. Harassment of an applicant, employee, volunteer, contractor, client, or program participant on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, mental or physical ability, medical condition, political activity, marital status, sexual preference, sex, gender identity, or age will not be tolerated. Harassment is any conduct that is unwanted, unwarranted, and annoying or uncomfortable to the person on the receiving end of the behavior. Harassment may include verbal, physical, visual, and/or sexual. Volunteers should speak immediately to someone on our staff (a person they are comfortable with) if they are made to feel uncomfortable through any behaviors or comments of a client, program participant, staff, AmeriCorps member, contractor, or volunteer. 

Sexual and Physical Contact 

Inappropriate sexual and/or physical contact is defined as any contact between ReEstablish Richmond staff, AmeriCorps members, contractors, volunteers, or clients that could be construed as any or all of the following: sexual, sensual, flirtatious, unwarranted, uncomfortable, or aggressive. Any sexual or unwarranted physical contact between ReEstablish Richmond staff, AmeriCorps members, contractors, volunteers, or clients is prohibited. All volunteers are also prohibited from engaging in any dialogue, gesture, advance, or action that could be perceived as inappropriate, sexual, sensual, flirtatious, demeaning, degrading, threatening, or aggressive. All volunteers are asked to be aware of cultural values around clothing that may be considered sexually suggestive and to avoid wearing or making comments to or about others who are wearing such clothing. Any of these acts may cause psychological and/or physical harm.  

Evangelism/Missions 

ReEstablish Richmond is continually grateful for and inspired by the many volunteers of diverse local faith communities who share their time and energy with us. Each one is valuable to our mission. While many individuals are motivated by faith to do this work, it is important to know that ReEstablish Richmond is not affiliated with a specific faith tradition. All volunteers will be working with people from a variety of religious backgrounds. Many clients have fled their home countries due to religious persecution, and as an organization we strive to be a safe place for everyone. Therefore, ReEstablish Richmond does not support any attempts to evangelize or convert clients to another religion. This kind of activity does not contribute to the goals of ReEstablish Richmond and is in direct opposition to our values. Regardless of religious identity or faith background, all volunteers must agree to respect this policy while actively working with us. 

Working with Minors

ReEstablish Richmond is committed to ensuring that no harm, whether intentional or unintentional, comes to minors as a result of ReEstablish Richmond programs or operations. An adult must always be present when working with youth clients, and the parent or guardian of youth clients must be informed of any programming or meetings with ReEstablish Richmond volunteers. It is vital that all volunteers respect youths’ physical and emotional boundaries, treat young people fairly without prejudice or discrimination, and ensure all contact with young people is appropriate. Treat young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, class, immigration status, country of origin, religion, sexuality, ethnicity, or languages spoken is prohibited and in direct conflict with the values of ReEstablish Richmond.   Do not either exaggerate or trivialize child abuse issues. If a youth client shares an instance of abuse or fear of potential abuse with you, please report it to a ReEstablish Richmond staff member immediately. 

Please indicate that you have read and agree with ReEstablish Richmond’s Values and Boundaries statement by marking the box on your application.