SOS Guiding Principles

1. Choice: We believe that people facing mental health challenges have the right to define themselves, define what recovery is and how best to achieve it, and determine the direction of their own lives. Choice is about having access to non-bias information and being able to take ownership for the decisions one makes.
2. Inclusion:  We aim to promote an environment that fosters a sense of connectedness, belonging, openness and non-judgment. We focus on ensuring that our community embraces and celebrates the uniqueness and diversity of all those who walk through our doors.
3. Holistic Approach: We believe in a holistic, self-directed approach to emotional healing and in the power of individuals to change and recover as expressed in the recovery model. We emphasize the need for education and advocacy in establishing a safe space to explore one’s next steps. 
4. Voice: We believe that people facing mental health challenges have the right to be heard, validated and acknowledged for the experiences that they have had. We believe in honouring the history and stories of those who have been marginalized and stigmatized. We aim to ensure that all means of communication and expression are celebrated and that everyone feels empowered to share. 
5. Rights Protection: We believe in social change, advocacy, and education to safeguard the rights of all those who have experienced mental health challenges, to combat discrimination, and to make mental health care more responsive and accountable to those who use it.
6. Collective Leadership: We work as a collective with shared leadership and a healthy work environment.