Copper Beech Institute’s Code of Ethics

This is a DRAFT document and will be reviewed in Fall 2022 by staff, the board, and the Healing & Justice Collaborative.

In harmony with these values, we offer this ethical framework for our community. Our goal is for the Governance Committee of the Board of Directors and our Healing & Justice Collaborative to review this document annually and conduct an annual “audit” to assess how Copper Beech is upholding these ethical standards. The Copper Beech Institute community of facilitators, staff, board members, volunteers, and program participants seek to embody the following ethical standards: 

1. We live the values of interdependence and mutual respect.  

We acknowledge the interconnection of all things and beings, both living and inanimate. We honor our deep relationship with nature and we welcome dialogue with people from all walks of life, inclusive of (but not limited to) race, nationality, gender identity, sexuality, size, faith, ideology, status in one’s community, financial wealth, physical and mental ability, health, and age. We agree to refine our understanding of this interdependence in practicing nonviolent action, furthering justice and freedom in the lives of all beings. 

2. We practice equity, accessibility, and financial inclusivity. 

We commit to making our programs and services accessible whenever possible, including for those individuals who have less financial means as a result of historical disenfranchisement, systems of oppression, and those who have experienced trauma. We offer programs that reasonably accommodate all financial circumstances and learning styles, with a wisdom democracy (the lived experience of all program participants is welcome and respected) at the heart of our practice. In addition to financial accessibility, we commit to reasonable accommodation of different learning styles and physical abilities both in our programming and in our culture.  

3. We agree to engage in healthy relationships. 

We commit to interact with others in a manner that affirms and uplifts the inherent dignity of all persons. All staff, facilitators, board members and volunteers are expected to follow our Non-Harassment Policy, which can be found in our Employee Handbook. Any form of harassment is not tolerated at Copper Beech Institute and concerns and complaints are taken seriously. Reports of harm can be made to the Executive Director (brandon@copperbeechinstitute.org), the Chair of the Board of Directors (chuck.joseph@gmail.com), and our Reporting Liaisons (reginachilders50@yahoo.com and 4wholehearthealing@gmail.com). Reporting of such harm is encouraged. 

4. We agree to use honest and loving communication with confidentiality. 

We agree to speak truthfully and usefully, and to refrain from gossip. We agree to maintaining confidentiality with what is shared and spoken of during retreats, programs, and community outreach, on or off site or online. We agree to cultivate conscious and clear communication, and to invite love, kindness, compassion, and courageous honesty into all of our conversations. We understand that deep listening is a vital part of healthy communication and commit to listening fully and openly to others when they communicate with us, especially when we hold different views.  

5. We commit to being fully present and to avoid substances that impede presence. 
 
We commit to refraining from the use of illegal drugs or any intoxicants that negatively impact our ability to be fully present during any programs, whether online or in-person, or while on retreat premises. We agree that if a facilitator is under the influence of illegal drugs and/or alcohol while offering any programming, steps shall be taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the facilitator and their students. 

6. We agree to honor lived experience and the wisdom that lives in all beings. 

We invite humility and the willingness to not know, which can lead to greater spaces of learning and curiosity. We are committed to a wisdom democracy, which means that the lived experience of all program participants is welcome and respected. We strive to break down the false hierarchy between facilitators and participants, so that we might recognize that we all learn and grow with each other. 

7. We commit to uncovering biases, gaps in awareness, and unconscious prejudices. 

Awareness invites deep inquiry which can illuminate patterns and beliefs sometimes developed over generations. We endeavor to break down systems of oppression, including racism, through conscious and careful investigation of ourselves and our communities. This includes, but is not limited to, a commitment to individual study and attending formal trainings focused on anti-racism and anti-oppression, which Copper Beech will offer regularly. We will call out hate speech in any form and reserve the right to excuse someone from our programs if they are unable to agree to our Brave Space Agreements (see below). 

8. We bring awareness to differences in power and seek to flatten hierarchy. 

The traditions of patriarchy and hierarchy are everywhere. We agree to work toward flattening those separations and invite both the admiration of differences and the removal of hierarchy both through how we set up our physical spaces (e.g., chairs in a circle) and how we interact with each other. We agree to especially honor and lift up the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, those living with visible and invisible disabilities, and others most impacted by systems of oppression. 

This is a living document. We recognize our understanding of ethics will continue to evolve over time and that the words shared here may require changing. We welcome feedback and request the support of others in guiding us along the path of liberation for all beings.