These have been written specifically for the children and young adults of Tierra Nueva, but it is understood that these principles apply to everyone who resides here. We parents and other adults realize it is our responsibility to communicate and model the following Respects and Responsibilities to our children and help them to integrate them into their lives. Our goal is to help our children grow into compassionate, self-directed adults and to create a community that is safe in every sense of the word.
Areas of Respect
Ways in which I would like to be treated and ways in which I need to treat other people:
– Physical: I have the right to physical safety. I have the right to tell anyone to stop if I don’t like the way they are touching me or if they are hurting me. I will tell my mom, dad or other trusted adult if someone touches me in any way that makes me feel uncomfortable. I will remember that everyone else has the right to be safe also and if someone tells me to stop touching or hurting them, I will. I will do my best not to intentionally hurt another person.
– Emotional: I have the right to be treated with respect. I have the right to be spoken to kindly. I have the right to be listened to when I speak and I have the right to express my feelings. I have the right to choose my friends and playmates but everyone in the community deserves to be treated with kindness. I have the right to ask for help if I need it when working out problems between myself and others. I will remember to treat others kindly and listen to the feelings they express. I will remember to treat everyone with respect.
– Verbal: I will tell people how I feel with a kind, gentle voice. I will listen to what people say to me.
– Territorial: I have the right to quiet time and to play alone. I need to respect the right of others to quiet time and to play alone. Play areas belong to everyone and we need to work together when there are problems.
– Material: Toys and equipment need to be taken care of. Older kids need to use toys carefully. I will ask to borrow another person’s toys and return them when I am done. I expect others to do the same for me.
– Diversity: We all look different. We have different colored eyes and hair, different colored skin, different clothes. We do things differently. Some can climb to the highest branch of a tree, some may never reach the lowest branch. And we choose to go different places, to different churches, different schools. But our differences make us special, not weird. We each deserve to be treated as special, unique individuals despite our differences.
Areas of Responsibility
– I am aware that our community has regular meetings and committees. In those meetings and committees we use consensus to make decisions. Consensus means everyone agrees. Everyone is welcome to attend meetings and committees.
– I will take responsibility for communicating my ideas and feelings.
– I will contribute time and energy in the form of kid area clean-up days.