Values
The foundations of how we work together
Our values help us stay open, grounded and connected to each other as we learn, act and grow alongside our community. Through honesty, authenticity and connection to our own humanity, we create the conditions for people to feel safe, seen and able to thrive.
Honesty
It’s important that we are straightforward, honest and curious together. We talk with each other, not about each other.
Optimism
We see opportunity in challenge, trust each other and know that we will learn from our mistakes.
Playfulness
We take our work seriously,
but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Lightness, humour and humanity mean we enjoy our work and stay grounded.
Authenticity
We bring our humanity to work, try to be open and truly see each other beyond our roles, professional identity or labels. We’re inclusive, accepting of difference and do our best to listen with presence and communicate in straightforward ways.
Supportiveness
We know that we impact each other and seek to create an environment that energises. We’re conscious that maintaining energy requires good self-care and embed regenerative practices as part of our culture.
Openness
We don’t bury thoughts and feelings about each other or our work. We seek to be non- judgemental and accepting of ourselves and each other, listening and responding in service of an open culture. We love supporting each other’s enquiries and helping each other to dig deeper, to see and understand more.
Our pillars
All of our work at Likewise is underpinned by three core pillars – principles we hold as central to everything we do.
Learning
We believe everyone is engaged in a constant process of learning, and that such a process is fundamental to wellbeing. It is through learning about ourselves and others that we can make space for change. Real learning is fundamentally experiential. It rests on people being able to engage with the complex reality of their worlds – worlds that only they have access to.
At Likewise we support our clients, community members and each other to engage in this learning – with an acknowledgement that we are learners ourselves – and use it to inform action and problem-solving when it comes to lived realities.
The learning frame of mind means we are always open to the multitudes of people rather than fitting them into any pre–conceived notions. It allows us to engage with difference rather than fear it. And it means we can be open about mistakes, which provide fertile ground for real growth.
We recognise that this mindset is far from easy. Learning can be loaded with discomfort, like struggling with shoes that no longer fit. We try to create spaces that allow us to move through this struggle safely.
For more on learning, see Our approach
Doing
To be active in the world, we need to be doers. It is only through doing and trying new things that we discover our own potential and that of the world. At Likewise we aim to be the scaffolding for our clients’ and our community members’ ‘doing’. We support and facilitate them to explore the experiences that could be stepping stones to new ways of being in the world. We don’t expect this to always come easy or feel good. Working through discomfort, difficulty, and the sometimes-painful process of realising what doesn’t work are all vital components of growth.
Our ’doing’ pillar also represents a can-do and pragmatic attitude: where we can do something, we will. Many people remark how unusual this is as other services typically operate within strict rules, bureaucracy or rigid practice. It encompasses a certain level of flexibility – both in terms of the ways in which we’re happy to help people out, and in how we operate while we’re doing it. Sometimes it’s about being quietly present with someone in silence; at others it’s about challenging our clients to aim higher for themselves. ’Doing’ is a process of learning as much as it is an action.
Belonging
We believe that people are best supported to make changes when they belong to a community that values them for who they are, rather than who they should be. When you are valued as you are, risk, change, and failure become safer – regardless of struggles or mistakes, you remain valued and loved. This safety means these difficulties are not things to be afraid or ashamed of and so can be springboards for change. Acceptance and belonging are the bedrock of learning and doing, allowing each of us to make the most of any opportunities or challenges that come our way.
A fundamental feature of belonging and acceptance is a recognition of our shared humanity. As people, we all make mistakes and lose sight of what really matters. We all feel sad, angry, scared or judgmental, and we all need connection and joy. We can all find life difficult and we can all feel like we are not good enough. These features of our lives are what make us human, not something to hide from. At Likewise we recognise and celebrate all of this – and in so doing we create a sense of belonging for us all.Â
Interdependence
We are all deeply connected through complex webs of relationships. In one sense, this is a wonderful advantage – the more supportive connections we have to individuals and communities, the more likely we are to be supported when life becomes difficult. In return, as we become more open, we can provide a similar space for others.
At Likewise we see interdependence as a fundamental principle that encourages us to look not just at individuals, but at their context and relationships. It facilitates us to think not just about our own mission, but of ways to influence and change the system that we exist in. And it reminds us that our own goals are intimately tied to those of our community. It allows us to recognise that the real causes of and solutions to our personal and social problems lie at both the individual and the systemic level: to maximise impact, we have to be aware of both.
