The Sentinel by Yuvoice Perspective Statement
Are you looking for our public statement on a current issue?
Do you want to know if we agree with a position or statement in an article we have published?
The Sentinel will never issue an official statement in response to any current event, and we will never endorse or condemn any
individuals, public figures, or groups. We also never agree or disagree with, endorse, or specifically support the content of any of
the pieces we publish.
We are a nonpartisan, apolitical global nonprofit, and our goal is to uplift your voices and encourage critical thought for a brighter tomorrow.
We do not tell you how to think or punish viewpoints we disagree with. However, we never want our silence to be interpreted as acceptance of the way things are, when our entire purpose is to help create and launch micro and macro movements for a better world.
Fundamentally, we always support increasing happiness and decreasing pain for as many living beings as possible.
Given that as our guiding light, we believe these deep-dive tenets make the world a better place (in alphabetical, not priority order):
• Animal Welfare: We condemn cruelty to animals including, but not limited to, torturing animals, trophy hunting, breeding animals to fight, unlawfully breeding of animals, driving species to extinction, and mass slaughter. We believe that animals have nervous systems, feel pain, and have feelings, relationships, and societies that also matter to the success and well-being of the planet.
• Anti-Discrimination: We condemn colorism and racism in all forms, including stereotypes about members of different races and denying people jobs or equitable access to opportunities based on their race or gender, income, pregnancy status, disability, sexuality, religion, fully-served prison sentences, or age. We support interracial, traditional and nontraditional, and diverse families of all types.
• Artificial Intelligence: We, like most of humanity, stand with hands braced to see how AI impacts our societies, our careers, and our lives. We want wealth created by AI to go to all people, not just its creators. And we worry about the ability of AI to impact the global market directly and affect our whole planet without strong ethical guidelines to prevent misuse.
• Black and Indigenous Justice: We believe the legacy of slavery and colonialism on Black and Indigenous folks worldwide is a tragedy and one we must reckon with through consistent support and uplifting of Black/Indigenous voices and actionable support for justice. We support equitable and anti-colorist, anti-racist criminal justice systems, a necessity to fight the legacy of slavery and its impact on Black people worldwide. We condemn police brutality and the militarization of police departments.
• Children: We believe that it is the responsibility of people in all societies to protect children from violence, fearmongering, or physical/sexual/emotional/ mental abuse perpetuated by schools, parents, or bullies. Children have the right to a fact-based education. Children’s rights should be first and foremost considered in conflict zones because children should always be presumed innocent. Children should not be required to work for a living, be impacted by or victims of human trafficking, or have decisions made against them that will affect concerns their dignity, privacy, or right to bodily integrity.
• Democracy and Civic Education: We support democracy, a fair and equal vote for all citizens, strong and robust protections of immigrants, the right to a fair trial, absolute free speech, and free media.
• Disability Advocacy: We support accommodations for and respect for people with disabilities and we condemn people who make fun of or deny them opportunities to be equal members of society. Our hearts go out to all those who have physical disabilities, chronic conditions, chronic pain conditions, and debilitating mental health conditions. We recognize and advocate that physical and mental illnesses are never the fault of the person who has them and often cannot be 100% treated.
• Environment: We condemn the destruction of entire ecosystems and the impact of human activity on climate change and the planet. We support actions that promote sustainability, clean energy, and protecting the long-term future of the Earth as a whole.
• Feminism/Women’s Rights/Gender Equality: We support the right for women to choose what to wear, who to have relationships with, and what to do with their bodies. We support women’s equal rights and equal pay in workplaces, governments and leadership. We condemn dowries, forced marriage, sex trafficking, and forced prostitution. We support better programs worldwide to make pregnancy and
childbirth easier on birthing parents and to make sure birthing parents have the ability to return to their careers afterward. We also recognize the ways in which men are denied mental-health support or parental rights, may be shifted into militaries, or are also affected by gender stereotypes. We challenge the negative impacts of traditional patriarchy on everyone.
• Gender Identity and Sexuality: We support the right for every adult to marry and/or to have a sexual relationship with any other consenting adults and we condemn efforts made to criminalize sexual orientations. We support the right to use whatever pronouns you choose to whatever language you speak, because no one should tell you what gender you are or who you should love. We condemn violence to trans people and support everyone choosing what is best for their own bodies, identities, and lives.
• Income and Basic Needs: We do not believe that your income status or wealth should ever impact your humanity or right to live freely, happily, and safely. We believe that everyone has a right to healthy food, safe housing, clean drinking water, sanitation, and healthcare.
• Journalistic Integrity: We support fact-based reporting, journalism, and beliefs; we are always open to feedback that we have missed research, critical thought, or implications that inform an opinion/choice we’ve stated, or are actually increasing, not happiness or decreasing our pain. We believe that most people are fundamentally good, can grow to become better people over time, and should be given that chance. We also believe that less outrage, vitriol, nationalism, and tribal anger is desirable.
• Mental Health: We appreciate the seriousness of mental-health issues, and we support those struggling with conditions from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia or personality disorders. We support consensual treatment and encourage everyone to support others who are suffering, while finding the best ways to set boundaries for themselves. We believe in raising awareness of the impact
of trauma on mental health conditions and the suffering of the people who suffer. We believe that folks who suffer from mental-health issues are still valid, productive members of society who deserve to be treated with fairness and love.
• Neurodivergence: We believe that neurodivergences, such as autism and ADHD, are not disabilities and we celebrate the many different ways human beings can think. We recognize and encourage appropriate accommodations for folks who need them.
• Nonviolence: We believe that if you have the ability to stop a harm or a tragedy and do not do so, that is wrong. We encourage all organizations and people to think about the ways in which their silence, failure to act, and failure to act quickly can cause preventable harm/death to others.
• Privacy: We believe that everyone should have the right to privacy and be protected from government surveillance, to know how their data is being used and who is collecting it, and to the complete sanctity and security of their own thoughts. We believe this includes children having a say in their own privacy and not their parents or guardians constantly deciding what to publicly share.
• Religion: We support everyone deciding what religious beliefs make sense to them and practicing them as they see fit, as long as they do not impact anyone else. We condemn evangelism and forcing, in any way, other people to believe in the beliefs of your faith/church. We believe that religion should not dictate how you live your life, but should never restrict others who choose not to believe. We condemn discrimination based on someone else’s belief system alone, but we support holding people responsible for the values they actually believe in and espouse.
• Violence: We always condemn the intentional targeting of innocent civilians, calls for or support for genocide, ethnic cleansing, or mass-killing; the use of chemical, biological, or nuclear warfare; the violation of sovereignty; and efforts to prevent self-determination. We unequivocally condemn domestic violence: physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse. Kidnapping civilians, rape and sexual assault, and torture.
In sum, we believe in a better world, we will always fight for it, and we will empower you to do so as well.
Let's do this, superheroes!