Our Culture Thesis

Core Vaues

INTEGRITY

We are accountable regardless of who is watching. We strive for excellence. We believe that striving for, and achieving excellence, ensures the long-term health of our team, our students, and our organization. With our combined creativity, commitment to constant improvement, and consistent hard work, we can make this aspiration a reality.

GRATITUDE

We thank our team for their brilliance, hard work, and collaboration; our students for their resilience, commitment, and creativity; and our supporters for their generosity, audacity, and allegiance. Together, we commit to strengthening our community with gratitude.

INCLUSION

All are welcome at our table. We value inclusivity and equity, from our students to our internal team to our patrons. We strive to give everyone opportunities to grow and learn. We recognize that the way in which we do our work is as important as the outcome. We prioritize working with organizations and companies who are engaged in fighting for these same values.

EMPOWERMENT

There is no better feeling than believing that you can make a difference in a person’s life. That feeling is empowerment, and we believe that, at its core, it is independence coupled with dreams and skills. We seek to instill in our students the belief that they can pursue their dreams and seize opportunities. Similarly, as members of the Emma’s Torch team, we are each empowered to take initiative, make decisions, and grow our organization.

HOW WE SHOW UP

Mission-driven decision-making

We are inherent educators.

Communication & Collaboration

We are all connected.

  • We are always centering our student experience and thinking about their future. 

  • We steward our resources (time, finances, expertise) wisely and towards the greatest impact on our students lives

  • We use our knowledge of their calendar and curriculum to ask probing questions and ensure that their learning is an ongoing process. We actively engage with students at every single opportunity

  • We hold students accountable because we know that it is for their own benefit and the benefit of our larger community

  • We are transparent about how we communicate and the expectations around those communication methods. 

  • We practice self reflection and thoughtful communication; we share the ‘why behind the what’ when we can. We assume the best intent of each other and err on the side of over communication or clarification. 

  • We operate with a high level of autonomy, and each team member is empowered to make decisions because we trust in their ability to keep the organization and student’s best interest in the center of their decision making. No decision is made in a vacuum, and communication is inherent in each decision we make.

  • If we are achieving our individual outcomes but not supporting our peers in achieving the same- we are not reaching our goals

  • We do not turn a blind eye to something because ‘it’s not our job’.

  • We honor the fact that our individual actions reverberate throughout the organization and touch every student and every peer