_edited.png)
ABOUT SELF-RECLAIMED
Self-Reclaimed is shifting the culture that allows sexual assault and domestic violence to exist.
Merged with The Good Knight in 2020, a nonprofit founded in 2013 that inspired and encouraged college students to live without fear & put an end to sexual violence, SR is building upon the legacy of GK, expanding to reach communities that have been directly and indirectly impacted by SA and DV in Chicago, the surrounding suburbs, and nationally through virtual programs.
We are a community of survivors, allies, advocates, and professionals in the field of SA + DV, who are deeply committed to creating radical safe spaces. It’s within these safe spaces where survivors can experience transformational healing within community, through the process of creativity, self-exploration, play, and performance. Survivors are empowered to reclaim their story. We are so much more than what has happened to us.
OUR MISSION & VISION
Our team at Self-Reclaimed has committed to implementing the #LeanImpact model to create necessary, sustainable, and scalable solutions to the issue we’re trying to solve:
a world free of sexual assault and domestic violence.
We believe that this vision is not possible without radical Safe Spaces. It’s not simply enough to talk about creating safe spaces anymore. We need the education, tools, and ongoing advocacy that will make this vision a reality. We need people to lift our society up, together.
We cannot expect individuals and communities to inherently know how to do this. These are leadership skills that need to be developed. It’s clear that society is at a turning point. Many individuals, communities, and businesses want to know how they can do better for themselves, for survivors, for their children, and for the environments they occupy. This is why our mission statement has shifted. So we can meet this ever growing need.
Everything we do is survivor-centered. Every space we occupy is safe, inclusive, and accessible, and we consistently ask for feedback on how we can embody our values and pillars better each time. We want every individual to feel empowered in their own healing journeys and their ability to make a positive difference in the world.
By taking this approach, we can shift the cultures where we live, learn, work, pray, and play. Because being a survivor is not an experience we can turn on and off, and at the end of the day, no one should have to say they have been impacted by sexual assault or domestic violence ever again.
We are Self-Reclaimed and our mission is to heal, empower, and unite our community against sexual assault and domestic violence.
EMPOWER
Empowerment Model
By understanding SA & DV as intersectional, generational, and societal issues, we can inform and support individuals and communities to make choices that combat and transform these systemic injustices. Acts of violence are never the fault of the survivor and we seek to empower survivors and our communities in their journey of self reclamation.
UNITE
Community Model
Our vision of a world free of sexual assault & domestic violence begins with prevention work. Our Safe Spaces Initiative believes every space that we occupy - where we live, learn, work, play, and pray - needs to not only be informed, educated, and trained, but united against any forms of SA or DV.
OUR VALUES
Our values serve as a compass for how our organization operates both internally and externally. They are the application of our core beliefs that help to shape and direct our work. We approach every decision we make with our values in mind.
Transparency
Integrity
Openness
Authenticity
Compassion
Providing communication with honesty and respect
Honoring your word in your commitments
Receiving communication with curiosity and patience
Operating from transparency, integrity, and openness with the overlay of your personality
Feeling moved to action through empathy for self and others
PILLARS OF SERVICE
Our pillars serve as the foundation of our organization and guide our thinking, actions, decisions, responses, and priorities.
Trauma-Informed
We integrate knowledge about individual and collective trauma into policies, procedures, practices, and direct services.
Survivor-Centered
Holistic
Accessible
Sustainable
We place survivors at the center of all decisions, orienting to each individual's unique healing journey.
We consider all aspects of the whole person: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, financial.
We empower individuals of all socioeconomic status backgrounds, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and geographical locations to become involved with our organization and services by using a social justice and equity lens.
We strive to uphold healthy operations and a healthy culture to sustain the mission on individual, community, and organizational levels.