We at ACET are excited to announce values that define ACET’s work. Our team, the ACET Values Strategic Planning group, has worked since August 2021 to create a suite of values that describes how we work internally and with our clients.
“Values are so important because they make explicit how we do the work,” says Rachel Engh, ACET’s senior evaluation specialist, cross-sector lead and the leader of the ACET Values Strategic Planning group. “It creates a shared understanding among our staff, our clients, and our communities on how we commit to being in relation with each other.”
Along with ACET staff Mick Alvarez Flores and Jolene Roehlkepartain, the three met to develop ACET’s new six values while integrating the expertise and experience of our clients and our staff.
ACET’s six new values include:
● Cultural engagement: We center our work on the cultural knowledge, values, and experiences of those we work with.
● Dedication: We care deeply for each other and are committed to identifying next steps and finding solutions.
● Listening: We listen to understand different perspectives, experiences, and needs to strengthen relationships.
● Collaboration: We cultivate a safe environment to authentically engage in ways that celebrate and leverage strengths as well as embrace differences.
● Responsiveness: We navigate our work with grace and care, pivoting based on what we learn.
● Sustainability: We develop systems to support long-term, sustainable change that creates lasting impact.
For Mick Alvarez Flores, ACET’s Graphic Design Coordinator, the value of dedication meant a lot to her. “It was something I saw staff members at ACET do all the time. It’s something I experience every day.”
The value of listening resonates a lot with Jolene Roehlkepartain, ACET’s Senior Manager. “It’s essential to listen: to each of our clients, to community members, to our staff members, and especially to individuals within marginalized communities who often don’t feel heard.”
“I’m so proud of our values,” Rachel Engh says. “What’s liberating about values is that they’re a practice, and we can come to work each day and practice them.”
Together, these six values articulate how we do our work at ACET. As we move forward, these six values guide our way and make our work even more effective.