Liberatory Values
Liberatory values include interdependence, equity, accountability, compassion, solidarity, self-determination, accessibility, cultural humility, and collective care.
They connect personal healing with the transformation of the conditions that limit people’s ability to thrive.
Liberatory values are principles that guide us toward greater freedom, dignity, belonging, and well-being for all people—especially those most affected by systems of oppression.
They ask us to examine how power operates in our relationships, institutions, and communities, and to use our own power in ways that reduce harm, challenge injustice, and expand access to meaningful participation and choice.
Joyful Mind Project expresses these values through a commitment to collective liberation, equity, social justice, compassionate action, and relationships that support individual and collective well-being.
We are inspired by Dr. Paula Aria’s seven practices for wielding liberatory power —
Make space for not knowing.
View situations through expansive, contextualized lenses.
Experience interrelatedness rather than separateness.
Assume that all beings want to end suffering.
Respond from an embodied awareness of the body.
Seek compassionate interpretations of events.
Consider how to use liberating power in response to harmful treatment, structures, and environments.