​Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services inc.

Mission & Values

Non-profit counseling and social services agency, providing a diverse offering of programs 

Our Mission

The mission of SYFS is to strengthen the emotional and social well-being of individuals and families through equitable access to mental health counseling and social services programs. We work to eradicate stigma and help our diverse communities by providing mental health, social services, and community support through direct service, access to resources, education and outreach.

Our Values

Impact

  • We create sustainable impact at scale by changing policies, practices and systems.
  • We accept that we must take risks in our work in order to create impact.
  • We are guardians of the resources dedicated to SYFS and we maximize the impact of our expenditures.
  • We shepherd promising ideas into effective action through all of our activities and services.

 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

  • We value the dignity of all clients and family members and build safe spaces in which their voices are integral in the decision-making process.
  • We believe cultural competency and health equity must be the standard in our work, rather than the exception.
  • We acknowledge the impact of racism, sexism and other structural oppressions on mental health, and we speak out against these oppressions even when it is challenging to do so.
  • We design our partnerships and work in ways that do not reinforce structural oppressions but create new models for shared power and co-creation.
  • We seek to operate as a trauma-informed and client-centered organization and to have our engagement with communities and individuals itself be a protective factor for mental health.

 Integrity

  • We conduct our work with honesty and transparency, and we aim to address all situations with high moral and ethical standards.
  • We do what we believe is right even if it is difficult or unpopular.
  • We build a supportive workplace that is centered on trust.

  Learning

  • We research and adopt information on evidence-based and culturally competent practices that advance the field of mental health.
  • We assess and analyze our work in order to measure impact and adapt to changing contexts, so we may continuously learn and improve as an organization.
  • We engage with communities to understand their unique needs and work collaboratively to identify areas for greater learning and awareness.
  • We use evaluation and communicate our findings to amplify improvements in mental health for our partnering communities.

 Collaboration

  • Our staff communicate regularly and across units as we all strive towards common goals.
  • We recognize that the agency, acting alone, cannot effectively address the systemic nature of the barriers to mental health, so we engage in meaningful partnerships with a variety of stakeholders to ensure sustainable change.
  • Our engagement with individuals and communities aims to create opportunities and processes through which people experience a greater sense of control over their own lives.