Privacy Statement
Northreach Society is committed to protecting the privacy, dignity, confidentiality, and security of personal and organizational information. The Society will collect, use, disclose, retain, and dispose of information responsibly and in accordance with applicable legislation, ethical standards, contractual obligations, funding requirements, accreditation standards, and organizational policies.
Northreach Society recognizes that employees, volunteers, Board members, contractors, clients, donors, community partners, and stakeholders entrust the organization with personal and confidential information. This information will be protected and managed only for legitimate organizational purposes. Privacy and confidentiality are fundamental to maintaining trust, supporting effective service delivery, safeguarding individual rights, and ensuring organizational accountability.
Violence Statement
Northreach Society is committed to providing and maintaining a work environment that is safe, respectful, inclusive, and free from violence and harassment. We uphold a zero‑tolerance standard for any form of workplace violence, harassment, bullying, or discriminatory conduct, whether physical, verbal, written, digital, or psychological.
This policy forms part of Northreach Society’s consolidated Violence and Harassment Prevention Plan, as required under Part 27 of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code. All hazard assessments, preventive controls, reporting mechanisms, investigations, corrective actions, and training activities are developed and implemented in accordance with current Occupational Health and Safety legislation.
Belief Statements
1. Respecting and Including Diversity – We believe that every human being’s individuality contributes to diversity; and we strive to recognize, respect and be inclusive of diversity at all times.
2. Valuing Freedom – We believe that everyone has freedom of choice and freedom to be, and we will be non-judgmental of people’s choices and actions.
3. Compassion and Understanding – We approach our work with compassion and understanding, putting ourselves in others’ shoes and considering matters from their positions in addition to our own when an issue or conflict arises.
4. Empowerment – We believe in empowerment of the self, and in helping our clients to develop the capability to take the authority and responsibility for the achievement of their personal goals.
5. Community Development – Community development is critical to the long-term sustainability of any program. The community development approach holds that in order for people to gain control over their lives and the circumstances that affect their health, communities must identify their own problems, develop their own solutions, and then put them into action. Communities can be groups of people who share a geographical centre or groups of people who share certain characteristics.
6. Health Promotion – Health promotion, as defined by the World Health Organization, is “a process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health.” People are encouraged to be active participants in improving their health rather than passive recipients of health programs. Health promotion develops the knowledge, skills and confidence required for people to understand and address their own health needs. It also increases an individual’s control over the external conditions that influence their health.
7. Partnerships & Collaboration – The Society recognizes that partnerships can take time to be established, and that meaningful partnerships and collaboration help ensure the long-term sustainability of community-based initiatives.
8. Evaluation – The Society will use evaluation to ensure learning from experience.
9. Population Health – Past community-based Harm Reduction work has clearly demonstrated that in order to be most effective, Harm Reduction programming needs to work in a broad social context and address the determinants of health. For example, in order for HIV prevention to be effective for sex trade workers, issues such as housing, education and economics need to be addressed. While the Society’s work may touch on many of the social determinant of health, we are focused on the following three determinants:
a. Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills – People’s knowledge, behaviors and abilities to handle outside influences and stressors affect health.
b. Social Environments – Social stability, recognition of diversity, good working relationships and cohesive communities contribute to healthy social environments.
c. Health Services – Health is influence by having access to services that are structured to restore, maintain and promote health and prevent disease.