About Us
Our Approach
Mission · Vision · Values
Mission
To support young people in building safe and healthy communities through the creation of art.
Vision
Communities exist where vulnerable and marginalized young people are cared for, loved, and empowered to be their authentic, artistic, and creative selves.
Values
01
Humility and Authenticity
We understand that we are not the experts of people’s lives. Everyone has their own journey. We approach everyone with a desire and willingness to learn and a belief they are inherently worthy of being heard. This not only relates to those who utilize The Cherry Pit’s services, but within the organization as well, from the Board of Directors to our staff and volunteers.
02
Accountability
Through humility and authenticity, we are able to experience accountability. We are accountable to not only our stakeholders, but to each other, and those we serve. This accountability is developed and grown in trust, while growing in relationship with one another.
03
Creativity
Creativity fuels us; not only in the art we create, but the way we support those who utilize our services, and how we navigate the systems that exist.
04
Collaboration and Connection
We cannot, and do not want to, do this work on our own. We believe that lasting change happens within relationships and community building Collaborating with and strengthening our connections with young people is at the centre of our work.
foundational approach
Harm Reduction
Principles of harm reduction guide us to create an environment that fosters trust with the young people we serve. We unconditionally support our community members to find safety wherever they are in their life, as we welcome the complex and unique challenges that young people experience. Harm reduction guides us to be accountable to our community through humility, transparency, and collaboration.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma informed care guides us to not only be aware of the complex impact of trauma on young people, but also to intentionally create a space where community members feel safe, in control, valued, and loved. We value connection and creativity as interventions to trauma and its impacts on our community members. Collaboration with young people informs our work and empowers our community members to have a voice and influence in their community.
Attachment
Attachment theory guides us to attend to the importance of healthy, secure, and sustainable relationships with young people. We recognize that vulnerable and marginalized young people often do not have secure attachments with safe and supportive people. The impacts of this on their view of themselves and the world around them is significant. Our desire is to create a space where meaningful and secure relationships can be built and nurtured.
Anti-Oppression
We exist in a world where systems of oppression - colonialism, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. - result in acts of discrimination. These acts create structural, cultural, and personal injustices for different marginalized groups in our city. We actively work to combat these injustices, through:
Consistently living out our mission, vision, and values;
Listening to and centering members of vulnerable and marginalized communities and their lived experiences;
Building services that address these root issues, in order to avoid becoming a part of them; and
Meaningful action