Governance Policies
Whistleblower Policy
A whistleblower, as defined by this policy, is an employee of Advocates for Youth who reports an activity that the employee considers to be illegal or dishonest to one or more of the parties specified in this policy. The whistleblower is not responsible for investigating the activity or for determining fault or corrective measures; the Management Team are charged with these responsibilities.
Examples of illegal or dishonest activities are violations of federal, state, or local laws; billing for services not performed or for goods not delivered; and other fraudulent financial reporting.
If an employee has knowledge of or a concern of illegal or dishonest fraudulent activity, the employee is to contact their immediate supervisor or a member of the Management Team. If the matter concerns the President, the employee should contact the Chair of the Board of Directors. The employee must exercise sound judgment to avoid baseless allegations. An employee who intentionally files a false report of wrongdoing will be subject to discipline up to and including termination.
Whistleblower protections are provided in two important areas — confidentiality and against retaliation. Insofar as possible, the confidentiality of the whistleblower will be maintained. However, identity may have to be disclosed to conduct a thorough investigation, to comply with the law, and to provide accused individuals their legal rights of defense. Advocates for Youth will not retaliate against a whistleblower. This includes, but is not limited to, protection from retaliation in the form of an adverse employment action such as termination, compensation decreases, or poor work assignments, and threats of physical harm. Any whistleblower who believes the employee is being retaliated against must contact the President immediately. The right of a whistleblower for protection against retaliation does not include immunity for any personal wrongdoing that is alleged and investigated.
All reports of illegal and dishonest activities will be promptly submitted to the President, who is responsible for investigating and coordinating corrective action. Employees with any questions regarding this policy should contact a member of the Management Team.
This policy is intended to supplement, not replace, Advocates’ normal means for raising and resolving problems. It is not appropriate for raising day-to-day workplace questions. For example, issues concerning pay, vacations, or other personal benefit issues should be addressed to your supervisor or the Management Team.
Advocates for Youth Statement on Racial Justice
Many of our communities are under attack during this time. Young people’s very identities are under assault – and our identities are multifaceted and layered, comprised of race, sexuality, gender, ability, and other concepts. Beyond the concerns of the present moment, our country needs to acknowledge its troubled history that extends back to its very founding. As the Board of Directors of Advocates for Youth, we want to take this opportunity to affirm Advocates for Youth’s values and offer up a vision for how Advocates for Youth’s mission reflects and includes racial justice. Our vision is of a journey toward racial justice and healing and a country that values and celebrates all young people, including their diverse and intersectional identities.
Advocates for Youth commits to working for racial justice and for an end to systematic oppression. We oppose violence and discrimination within the health care, education, and criminal justice systems. We support the rights of immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, refugees, and Muslims who are under particular attack. We will do the work of examining our own biases and privilege to better understand the systems of oppression. We will challenge the reproductive and sexual health and rights movement to acknowledge and value the contributions of people of color. We will nurture the leadership of activists of color and will be guided by their lived experiences in finding a path forward toward equity and justice.
Advocates for Youth’s focus is reproductive and sexual health and rights. These rights are inextricably linked with the environment young people grow up in. Young people live in communities around the nation where the specter of racially motivated violence is ever-present and looms large. Young people are immigrants or the children of immigrants, facing both racism and fear of deportation. Young people of color are denied access to health care, education, and economic opportunity in communities across the nation. Young people live in the shadow of a dangerous and violent prison system that imprisons people of color, especially Black people, at vastly disproportionate rates. In the media, culture, and the political environment, they face near-constant attacks on their very value as people. The political climate is openly hostile to Muslims, refugees, and immigrants, and scapegoats them for the ongoing economic inequality that many communities continue to experience in the U.S. In this environment, protecting one’s health and advocating for one’s rights becomes a challenge on multiple levels – from dealing with trauma, pain, and disorder in everyday life, to fearing that contact with government systems could hurt more than it helps.
Systematic racism, built into our culture in ways large and small, is what is poisoning the future of our young people. From health disparities and voting rights to the legal system and educational opportunities, young people of color face a complex web of injustices that affect every aspect of their lives.
Young people of color are also leading the movement toward just and safe communities for all. They are on the front lines of groups working for the rights of Blacks, Latinos/as, Asian Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Muslims, immigrants, and refugees.
As we work toward ensuring reproductive and sexual health and training up youth activists, we must stand with young people of color and simultaneously commit to working to ensure racial justice.
Our own mission is a part of a long-term struggle toward freedom and democracy for all – and we pledge to stand in solidarity with all working in that struggle.
Diversity Policy/Summary
Advocates recruits capable staff with deep roots into the communities served by the organization. At all levels of the organization, including program staff, management, and the board of directors, there is a diversity of race/ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and gender identities represented. Management is cognizant of the important impact diversity, equity, and inclusion have on determining the priorities and strategies embraced by the organization and on providing activists with role models and mentors that reflect their lived experiences and realities.
Advocates conducts Equity Reviews to assess the organization’s internal policies and practices to hold the organization accountable and ensure that these values are reflected in policies, procedures, and norms. Advocates works with an external consultant to guide the staff through an interactive, multi-month review process to analyze the organization’s vision, mission, and values; organizational chart; pay scales and ranges; management, staff, and board makeup; staff handbook; leadership development and performance evaluation process; hiring, firing, and promotion procedures; and board governance policies. In addition, the management conducts an annual salary review comparing Advocate’s salary ranges with other DC-based non-profits of similar budget size to ensure staff is paid in the upper 50% or higher of each category. Management also compares staff salaries within job categories to ensure equity. Finally, Advocates maintains a list of minority-owned and women-owned vendors to ensure that the organization partners with and patronizes businesses that prioritize equity and inclusion. The goal of these efforts is to ensure Advocates’ external values, vision, and mission are also embraced internally, creating a work environment that is safe and dignified and grounded in gender, racial and economic justice.
Additionally, Advocates utilizes an Emotional Support and Wellness Counselor to assist staff in
coping with the intensities, stressors, and traumas often involved with this work. The counselor, a Social Worker and former member of Advocates’ youth activist councils, offers one-on-one support to employees for various work-related concerns, including burnout/compassion fatigue/moral injury; best practices for handling secondary trauma and triggers in youth activists; work boundaries and time management; and referrals to ongoing therapy or other healing modalities.
Advocates also employs a Director of People & Culture in December, who has been tasked with the day-to-day management of people operations and human resource functions for the organization. The Director of People & Culture also conducts the organization’s comprehensive survey to assess diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) within its workforce. The survey aims to understand employees’ experiences and perceptions regarding inclusivity, fairness, and opportunities for all. With the data in place, the organization actively analyzes the results to identify key areas for improvement. These insights are used to inform initiatives and strategies that will foster a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture. This process includes revising policies, offering targeted training, and ensuring that employees at all levels have a voice in shaping the organization’s DEIJ efforts.