Mission & Values

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Social Purpose

arc programs exists to create thriving communities, free of systemic barriers and full of belonging, equity, and hope.

Mission

To provide prevention, therapeutic supports and connection for children, youth, families, and adults, alongside their circles of support in the Okanagan and West Kootenay regions by cultivating and promoting equitable and inclusive services. We are guided by respect and culturally relevant, responsive, reciprocal, and relational engagement.

Values

Collaborative

We collaborate with funders and community partners to develop and enhance our service continuum and respond to the identified needs of children, youth, families, and adults.

Inclusive

We use an anti-oppressive lens to inform our work with folx of all cultures, races, ethnic backgrounds, disabilities, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socio-economic status, religions, and other oppressions to enhance our approach to equality.

Kind

We strive to demonstrate cultural competency and agility while providing relevant and responsive services with lateral kindness.

Just

We promote advocacy in the areas of well-being, poverty reduction and social injustices, and commit to addressing the 94 Calls to Action and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) in our day-to-day activities. We commit to Transformative Reconciliation work through our actions and engagement with Indigenous partners and the broader community.

Our work is guided by many acts, declarations, and calls to action, including:

Accountable

We demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of our work by delivering accountable, efficient, and effective services.

Responsive

We facilitate and accommodate input into the planning and delivery of agency services, from the community, our staff, and participants. We respond effectively to client concerns or complaints ensuring participant rights are protected

Ever-Evolving

As an employer of choice in the social services sector, we recruit and retain highly skilled staff and support their development through training, education, research, best practices, and innovation. We foster a culture of continuous learning and reflective practice, utilizing a two-eyed seeing* approach – incorporating the strengths of western knowledge and Indigenous Knowledge: ways of knowing, doing and being – while engaging meaningfully with the provincial community social services sector, Indigenous communities, and agencies.
*Two-Eyed Seeing | Two-Eyed Seeing (2eyedseeing.ca)

Meet Our Team

Sustainable

We work to progress the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals* to protect our lands, waters and mother earth for our children and future generations. We are committed to reducing our ecological footprint and promoting environmental, social, and economic sustainability in all aspects of agency operations. 
*THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)