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Guiding principles

Many people are looking for support that feels safe, authentic, and grounded in shared experience. At Kiva Centers, our guiding principles shape every peer group, training, and interaction. Join our Community Gathering every Tuesday to share your voice, help shape our calendar of events, and guide the processes that keep our community thriving.

Safety and Privacy

Healing requires spaces where individuals feel physically and emotionally secure. Confidentiality, personal boundaries, and emotional safety are honored to ensure people can share openly without fear or judgment. This is where self-empowerment begins.

Respect

Every person holds value and deserves to be treated with dignity. Listening without assumptions, honoring cultural identity, and affirming individual experience are core to building trust.

Optimism

Hope is central to healing. Even in the face of challenge, it is possible to see strength, resilience, and the potential for growth in every person and every situation.

Self-determination and personal strength

Each person is the expert in their own life. Support honors personal choice and recognizes that everyone holds the inner strength to define their own direction and healing process.

Mutuality

Meaningful support happens in relationships where power is shared and everyone’s voice matters. Mutuality creates space for honest dialogue, equal connection, and shared growth.

Genuine human relationships

Connection thrives in spaces where people relate to one another as equals—not as roles or titles. Real support is built through presence, empathy, and mutual care, not through control or correction.

Join us to help shape our calendar of events

Community Gathering

In-person Support Group
This group is a collaborative space where community members come together to share updates, exchange ideas, and help shape the future of Kiva Centers. It is open to anyone who wants to be involved in guiding the direction of our center and the groups we offer. Every voice and perspective is valued. Join us as we build a stronger, more connected community through open dialogue, shared decision-making, and mutual support.
Address
Kiva Centers

172 Shrewsbury St.
Worcester, MA 01604

When: Tuesdays at 11:00 am

Community Gathering

Online Support Group
This group is a collaborative space where community members come together to share updates, exchange ideas, and help shape the future of Kiva Centers. It is open to anyone who wants to be involved in guiding the direction of our center and the groups we offer. Every voice and perspective is valued. Join us as we build a stronger, more connected community through open dialogue, shared decision-making, and mutual support.
When: Tuesdays at 11:00 am
Join Zoom
Lindsey Vezina (She/Ella)

Human Rights Officer

508-751-9600
lvezina@kivacenters.org

Monday-Thursday: 10:00am – 6:00pm ET
Fridays: 12:00pm – 6:00pm ET

Human rights

Access to dignity, safety, and belonging is a fundamental right. Community spaces and support systems must be inclusive, affirming, and centered in justice for all people—especially those who have been marginalized or silenced.

These principles are lived values. They shape every space created, every relationship formed, and every opportunity for healing that unfolds at Kiva Centers.

The Six Fundamental Rights

Ensures all clients have the right to:

  1. Make and receive confidential phone calls.
  2. Send and receive unopened, sealed mail.
  3. Receive visitors.
  4. A humane psychological and physical environment.
  5. Special visitors or phone calls with attorneys, legal advocates, social worker, psychologist or clergy.
  6. Reasonable access to fresh air.