SWITCH

https://www.switchsc.org/

Volunteer Opportunities: Yes

Values:

“SWITCH” signifies what happens when you turn on a light and darkness flees. Isaiah 42:16 says, “And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; in paths that they know not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight.  These things will I do, and I will not forsake them” (ASV). SWITCH is a community of Christian believers who want to see an end to sex trafficking and sexual exploitation in our community.  We do not discriminate; we seek to serve the trafficked and exploited as well as the traffickers, exploiters, and buyers.  We are here to serve and love the way Jesus did.  Our goal is to love well, serve well and be light in darkness.  In no way do we seek to force our faith on anyone we serve nor expect them to agree with our faith.  We are motivated by Jesus and seek to serve others with love and acceptance. 

We commit to the following core values as critical in our ability to accomplish the mission:

BEST INTEREST OF THE PARTICIPANT

We always consider the best interest of the participant as the most important factor when making decisions. Regardless of whether the individual is being controlled by a trafficker or not, they are worthy of love and respect. We will operate within the policies and procedures of SWITCH but will also place the needs of the participant first. We seek out and adopt the best practices while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

INTEGRITY

We operate with honesty, transparency, and professionalism at all levels of the organization. Our behaviors, actions, and language are respectful when referring to program participants, the community, and when teaching others. We also follow through on our commitments. We are good stewards of our resources and openly share use of funds with our donor community. We promote self-care within our staff and volunteers, understanding that we cannot care for others without first taking care of ourselves.

COLLABORATION

We value our community and understand that we cannot do this work alone. It takes the efforts of many in the community. Therefore, we purposely seek collaboration with non-profit, state, federal, and law-enforcement agencies. Together we can do much more good than working alone.

SERVICE

We serve with an attitude of humility. We understand that each of us is involved with SWITCH to serve and not be served. We strive to be and grow servant leaders.

EMPOWERMENT

We strive to grow individuals to be their best. Whether program participants, staff, or volunteers, we provide a non-judgmental environment where people can build on their strengths and overcome weaknesses. We trust people to fulfill their obligations without intervening but willingly offer wisdom, advice, or help when requested. To the extent possible, we invest in our staff, board, and volunteers by seeking out world-class education and training opportunities.

TEAMWORK

We maintain a workplace that fosters trust, creativity, consistency, and loyalty. Every individual in the organization is considered to be equally valuable. Therefore, we treat each other with respect and care. Dissenting opinions and debates are encouraged. We allow other’s voices to be heard. We seek out collaborative decision making within our organization and with others in our community. We encourage open and honest communication.

HOPE

We seek to foster hope in our program participants and in our community. Our participants have many struggles ahead of them, but we will foster hope that they can recover and have a wonderful life ahead of them. When communicating the darkness of sex trafficking and exploitation with the community, we will also foster hope, that by working together, it will come to an end.

EXCELLENCE

We strive to carry out our efforts with excellence. We will not begin new efforts until we have mastered what we are already doing. We understand that stretching ourselves too thin leads to mediocrity. Our participants and our community deserve our best efforts.