Covenant
We, the members of the Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee, enter into the spiritual work of anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism grounded in the principles and values of our Unitarian Universalist faith, and covenant to:
- recognize we are each and collectively "works in progress," and that there is no one "right answer";
- speak our truth in constructive and civil ways;
- enter the work in a spirit of humility and forgiveness and a willingness to make and accept mistakes;
- recognize and affirm that we learn, process, and articulate in unique communication styles, considering how our communication style affects others
- promote dialogue by listening to understand with an open heart and mind;
- when possible, speak directly with persons with whom we have a concern or question, and if not able to do so, speak with one of the right relationship persons;
- clearly state our needs for a response, input, assistance, clarification, break, and support to each other as soon as possible;
- respond, give input, assist, clarify, offer a break or give support;
- continue to learn more about the diverse perspectives of those who experience discrimination in our community;
- assume the best of intentions from all committee members as we share in this work together;
- commit to sharing responsibilities, attending meetings, honoring deadlines, and communicating/negotiating changes to the best of our ability;
- model anti-oppressive behavior by participating in succinct and timely process observations;
- maintain confidentiality—on developing reports, processing discussions and researching results;
- recognize that the work we do together is sometimes difficult, and that our overall goal is to stay "at the table" together;
- share equally proactive responsibility for the quality of the work and the quality of the relationships; and
- acknowledge that this is a living document, reflecting our evolution and changes as a committee.
We recognize, affirm and honor the privilege of serving the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations as members of the Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee.
Last revised May 2012.