VALUES

A values-based approach is integral to Brave’s ethos. We believe that co-designing with and learning from harm reduction advocates and people who use drugs is the best way to inform our products’ design. Brave’s commitment to qualitative, ethnographic research has empowered us to develop tools that respond to user needs.

To ensure our work is relevant, we actively pursure collaborative partnerships with a variety of stakeholders working within or adjacent to overdose response. These partnerships allow us to solicit ideas, input, and feedback from the broader community as we continue to refine our product offerings.

Design Justice

As advocates of Design Justice, we work as facilitators who are building with and from the expertise of those with lived experience. Design Justice rethinks design processes, centers people who are normally marginalized by design, and uses collaborative, creative practices to address the deepest challenges that communities face. 2

Transparency

Brave values transparency, especially in business, and we intend to make our financial information publicly available. After it is anonymized, Brave’s data will also become available to key stakeholders and the public in real time.

Cooperativism

Brave is a multistakeholder platform cooperative rooted in the values of democratic ownership. The platform coop model aims to vitalize people-centered innovation by uniting the rich values and heritage of the cooperative movement with emerging internet technologies.

TRAUMA & OPPRESSION INFORMED CARE

Brave acknowledges the possibility that our work with community members may trigger trauma. Brave takes absolute care in educating and engaging ourselves with the complexity of communities where we do our work in order to recognize the structural dynamics which would prevent or further marginalize the individuals we aim to serve. Our work is guided by an oppressioninformed approach to service delivery.

Harm Reduction

Brave’s approach is rooted in the principles of harm reduction. Harm reduction is an approach based on behavior-based strategies and ideas aimed at reducing the negative public consequences associated with individual actions or activities. Handwashing campaigns, seatbelt road alerts, and condom distribution are all harm reduction interventions that attempt to raise awareness and minimize the risk of individual decisions on public health. Harm reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people. 3