Stuart Etherington
An active and vibrant civil society is essential to a healthy democracy: it is where people come together to pursue shared interests and find new solutions to collective problems.
Values are a vital driving force for organisations across civil society. They are at the heart of what we are for, what we do and what we aspire to. Whilst individual organisations articulate their values in their own way, NCVO’s work has shown that there are also shared values across the sector as a whole:
Social justice: principles of justice, fairness and equality should underpin every aspect of society; people’s rights are respected and they in turn respect the rights of others.
Valuing people: society is judged by the way people are treated in their day to day lives, particularly those who are marginalised or vulnerable for whatever reason. Diversity is respected and celebrated.
Autonomy: people are empowered to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives and to participate in the life of their community.
Sustainability: there is support for sustainable economic, environmental and community development, with an emphasis on building social capital within and between communities and developing individuals’ skills and capacities.
Organisations within civil society grow out of collective action: people coming together to make a positive difference to their lives, the lives of others, and to society as a whole. The vibrancy of this sector in Britain today shows that the values that drive this action have a wide resonance throughout society.
Stuart Etherington is the chief executive of NCVO, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.