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Hey community! In honour of pride month we are taking the opportunity to share some of our core values with you.
As a group of individuals who live and work in the community and surrounding area we see and feel the great importance of change in our community to be loving, accepting, to promote awareness and education and so much more. We know this is a long journey that the Pride community has been fighting for a long time. We also recognize the importance of our presence in allyship. Standing up for what is needed, what is kind and what creates safety in our communities. You will see on some of our social media platforms a pride flag present and a trans flag present. Otherwise there have not been visual markers on our store front or website (yet). Why? Well because as a company we do not feel it is fair to claim to be a safe space (yet). We are absolutely a SAFER space and do not allow hateful speech or actions in our space. That being said, we want to be sure and confident in our ability to provide a safe space before we claim anything.
So what have we been doing the last decade to become a safer space and what are our goals?
We have had formal training from Archway Community Services, The Foundry Abbotsford and Transcare with Fraser Health. These programs have been essential in laying the foundation for a strong knowledge, policy and culture in our business.
Genderless Menu – We define cuts by length and tool used.
We have been working at expanding a safe referral program for Gender Affirming appointments. This year Chantel is developing a program and policy to hopefully launch a formal program in 2023. She is currently offering gender affirming appointments.
Listening. We have had the gracious opportunity to hear your desires, concerns and to focus on your needs with haircare.
We engage in community events to bring awareness of who we are and meet the humans who are our neighbours.
We plan to host a pride event featuring hair in Fall 2022/Spring 2023
Our goal is to be a business who is visually seen on social media, online and in person as loving, compassionate, diverse and willing to put elbow grease behind what we say. We want to create policy and systems that assure accessibility and inclusivity. We want to be an employer who focuses on bringing diverse voices to our table that feel heard and supported. A company that is rooted in community and being somewhere humans can lean on.
So why no window decal? We need to do better. We have a long way to go when it comes to the work. We are open to feedback and want to learn from our experiences. We get it wrong more than we get it right but we are also willing to get back up when we stumble and try again. We want consistency and reliability that can be trusted before we are a “safe space.” This process takes time and building trust in the community. We want our efforts to be so noticeable a sticker is not required.
Our company values:
Wellness and sustainability is the foundation of our practice. We come from a place of authenticity and integrity, and aim for mastery with innovation. We are inclusive. We choose joy.
This is our aim, we know we have work to do and we look forward to the long journey for change as your ally. If you feel up to it please leave us feedback below. Much love,
The Funk + Co. Team
Chantel Funk + Co. 