LIVING OUR VALUES

2nd Story strives to create an environment that upholds the sacred act of sharing and listening to each other’s stories. It is our goal that 2nd Story events (rehearsals, workshops, meetings, performances, etc.) are brave spaces defined by collaboration, cooperation, and compassion. Our deeply held belief that personal stories can build a bolder and kinder world is seen in every show we produce, every class we teach, and every workshop we facilitate.

Our work is anchored in our Core Values of Craft, Courage, and Inclusion. To us, these values mean:

INCLUSION: We believe our lives and stories are richer when everyone is at the table.

CRAFT: We believe in approaching our work with skill and thoughtfulness.

COURAGE: We believe that creating change in the world takes fearlessness and grit.

We are continually working to hone our understanding of these values, and to ensure that everyone who intersects with 2nd Story (and especially those who are charged with holding space within 2nd Story’s work) understands what they are and what they mean in action. This is a constantly evolving practice, as our understanding of the world and these values broadens, and as we work with a larger and larger community of people.

OUR COMMITMENTS:

Values are only words until they are put into action. As a human- and care-centered organization, here are some of the commitments—both tangible and aspirational—that 2nd Story makes as we work to activate our values:

• We commit to behaving in a manner that is ethical, compassionate, and courageous.

• We commit to being an organization that acts against oppression in every way we can.

• We commit to a radical re-imagination of how we care for each other and for arts workers.

• We commit to financial transparency.

• We commit to supporting the range of communities in which we participate, in the manner that corresponds to how they articulate their needs.

• We commit to engaging in ongoing reflection, including receiving feedback and embracing change.

• We commit to centering people (the 2nd Story Collective, the Albany Park community, the individuals who will be impacted by a program, etc.) in organizational decision-making, in being a people-first organization.

• We commit to the process of learning and unlearning, challenging and being challenged.

Anti-Oppression Statement

2nd Story believes in using radical imagination to support liberation for all people. We are pro-love, pro-justice, pro-joy, pro-listening, pro-accommodations, pro-reflection, pro-learning, pro-self-actualization, pro-being in community, pro-taking care of each other, pro-celebrating humanity in all of its variety and beauty and full selfhood.

This means that we are also anti-oppression, anti-racism, anti-capitalism, anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, anti-misogyny, anti-ableism, anti-homophobia, anti-transphobia, anti-xenophobia, anti-any and all things that promote hate and fear and division and mistreatment and devaluation of any of us as human beings. 

We invest our time and energy in systems and practices that aim to make every individual feel seen, heard, loved, held, and cared for in the fullness of who they are, and we fight against the things that hold us back, hold us down, and cause harm.

The deconstruction of systems like white supremacy, colonialism, and heteropatriarchy is a long, long journey. A journey of lifetimes, of centuries.

We will not always succeed–as individuals or as an organization. We are fallible, so we will fail and falter. When we do, we commit to acknowledging and repairing any harm as best we can. And, as we stumble forward, we will not allow our mistakes to derail us from the path of liberation. We will remain committed to the process of unlearning, to the work of questioning, challenging, and being challenged, and to the ultimate goal of building a world where we are all free.