At Life After Hate, our core values are the driving force behind our mission to build a safer society by helping people break free from lives of violent hate and extremism through evidence-based interventions. These values are more than just words on paper—they are embodied in every aspect of our organization, from our dedicated staff and board members to the clients we serve and the communities we impact.
As a community founded by those who have courageously walked away from lives of violent extremism, we understand the immense challenges and profound personal journey involved in this transformation. Our own experiences of rehumanization and growth have given us invaluable wisdom and insight, allowing us to truly understand and mentor those still navigating the difficult path toward wholeness.
Working with individuals involved in violent extremism is challenging. It requires unwavering compassion, empathy, integrity, accountability, and a belief in the power of redemption. We must approach each person with open minds and hearts, creating an environment that supports genuine change and healing without ever condoning past harmful actions.
Our core values of compassion, integrity, accountability, empathy, and redemption represent the ideals we uphold as we guide others toward lives free from hate and violence. These values are the foundation upon which we build our evidence-based interventions, ensuring that every step of our work is grounded in ethical standards, responsible leadership, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Through our lived experiences and the hard-earned wisdom they have provided, we offer a unique and powerful perspective on the journey toward redemption and a renewed life. We are living proof that transformation is possible, and our core values serve as a beacon, guiding individuals toward a future filled with hope, understanding, and a newfound sense of purpose.
Compassion
Above all, we lead with compassion. The individuals we serve have often been both perpetrators and victims — causing actual harm yet also bearing deep trauma themselves. With open minds and hearts, we meet them with non-judgmental understanding of their struggles and backgrounds. Compassion allows us to rehumanize those who have dehumanized others.
Empathy
We practice empathy by genuinely listening to our clients’ stories and experiences. This creates an environment supportive of the complex inner work of change, healing, and renewal. Through empathy, we gain insights that inform our approaches and help us mentor others walking this challenging path.
Integrity
Ethical integrity is paramount in our field. We emphasize the highest standards of responsible leadership, continuous improvement, and a commitment to doing right by the communities we serve. Our work demands modeling the morality and accountability we aim to inspire in others.
Redemption
We fundamentally believe in redemption – anyone can earnestly renew their life, even after causing immense pain. By exemplifying forgiveness and empowerment, not condemnation, we help make such transformation possible. True redemption requires accountability, yet it represents the most potent force for positive change.
Accountability
Accountability means taking full responsibility for past words and deeds that created victims. It requires honest self-examination, making amends, and a lifelong devotion to undoing harm and spreading good. For accountability to be genuine, it must be an internal self-driven commitment, not mere compliance with external punishments.
These core values form the unshakable foundation for our organization’s mission. They evolve with our work yet remain our constant north star for promoting individual prosperity and societal safety through non-violent solutions. By embodying compassion, empathy, integrity, redemption, and accountability, we hope to inspire the same transformation in others that many within our community have courageously achieved.
