Putting Our Values Into Practice: Awake’s New Code of Ethics and Reporting Process
As Awake’s executive director, I am so fortunate to have a bird’s-eye view of our mission. From this position, I get to see the profound impact of each of our programs and the way that we’re making a difference in the lives of so many.
Over time, I have also come to realize that Awake has an impact not just through the work we do, but also through how we do it - the way that we bring together people with diverse experiences and perspectives, listen to and respect one another, solicit and act upon feedback, create collaborative decision-making processes, and honor the dignity of each person we connect with. When we founded Awake in my living room 7 years ago, our focus was not on embodying a healthy organizational culture. But in the years since then, I have grown to see how impactful that example can be. If we're asking the Church and other organizations to create safer, more accountable cultures, we need to model those practices ourselves.
I am really proud of what we have built together, and I truly believe that Awake lives out our values, imperfectly but sincerely, as a compassionate, survivor-centered, faithful, welcoming, humble, courageous, and hopeful community.
Given that sincerity, it would be easy to believe that our community is fundamentally different from other groups, and that the harm that happens in other organizations could never happen here. But we know that this simply isn’t true. Abuse and harm can occur in any context, and denying that reality only makes a community less safe.
Everyone involved with Awake has seen the terrible consequences that can arise when an institution does not prioritize safety and accountability. This should cause us to be more vigilant in our own community - proactively considering what could go wrong and what we can do to prevent it.
We believe the close and trusting relationships within the Awake community are an important part of who we are and how we pursue our mission. We also recognize that harm can happen in small, tight-knit communities, just as it can in larger institutions. In fact, there can be a particular challenge in addressing harm in an organization where there’s a strong sense of connection and trust in leadership. It can be especially difficult to raise a concern about someone that you know others respect and trust, but we would never want someone to feel unable to speak up because they think no one would listen.
So, our Board of Directors has been working diligently to establish a set of guiding principles that define the behavior that we expect of all leaders in the organization. Previously, we had a code that focused on conflicts of interest and financial ethics, but we recognize that ethical behavior in an organization like Awake extends well beyond these kinds of legal and financial matters. It matters how we protect privacy, how we represent the organization, and most of all, how we treat all members of this community.
Today, we are announcing our new Code of Ethics, so that everyone involved with Awake can understand the standards Awake expects of people representing the organization. We also have established a reporting process that anyone can use if they are concerned an Awake leader or volunteer has violated this Code of Ethics. You can read about both below. (The documents shared in this blog post can also be found on the “Contact Us” page of the Awake website here.)
Code of Ethics
Awake’s new Code of Ethics establishes a shared understanding and commitment among those who have leadership roles in the organization. All members of the staff, Board of Directors, and Leadership Team, as well as those volunteers who have direct, one-on-one contact with individual abuse survivors, have signed a commitment to uphold this Code. All of these leaders also view a training video on safeguarding adult populations like those we serve and agree to regular background checks (which we have required since 2022).
You cannot hold us accountable if you don’t know what we have committed to, so we want to make everyone in the community aware of the commitment we are making to you. (As a side note: Many of us are familiar with signing off on a document that is so long and full of legalese that most people don’t bother to read it. In contrast, this Code was written to be clear and concise, so that every person could understand and fully commit to these standards.)
You can read Awake’s complete Code of Ethics here.
We know this Code of Ethics will always be a work in progress. In fact, we have already made two updates since the Board passed the first version of this Code. We will continue to reexamine these standards regularly, and Awake’s leaders will renew their commitment to the latest version of the Code of Ethics every year.
Reporting
If you’ve participated in any Awake program, you have seen that we frequently solicit feedback, and we do our best to communicate a true openness to criticisms and concerns. We’ve found that most feedback can be addressed through personal conversations and ongoing adjustments. However, we also recognize that there may be a time when someone might need to raise a serious concern about the conduct of an Awake leader, the kind of concern that merits a more formal process. While this has not happened yet, we want to be prepared if it does, rather than scrambling in that moment to decide how to move forward.
So, along with the Code of Ethics, we have also established a process that can be used to report a possible violation of this Code. You can read about the process and view the reporting form here. We hope this process will never need to be used, but we believe it is important to have the process ready in case it is needed.
On a personal note, I want to say that I think it’s especially important to have a way for someone to confidentially raise a concern about the executive director of Awake - at this moment, that’s me. There have been countless examples of founding leaders of organizations causing serious harm and not being held accountable. So, we have built this system to create an avenue for reporting that bypasses my involvement, and I have reiterated to all involved that concerns about any Awake leader should be taken seriously, including if that leader is me.
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Awake is growing, and in the midst of this growth, we want to ensure that we continue to live our values with real integrity. Creating this Code of Ethics and reporting process is one way we are putting those values into practice and building a community grounded in safety, accountability, and trust. We know this work is ongoing, and we are committed to listening, learning, and continually strengthening the ways we care for one another.
—Sara Larson, Executive Director
