Our Guiding Principles – The 4 S’s

Our Guiding Principles – The 4 S’s

At Cairn, we feel that it is imperative to create guidelines for young people to make wise decisions—decisions they could make on their own without too many rules to remember.  Because of this, Cairn developed the 4 S’s: a test by which any activity or behaviour could be evaluated as to whether or not it was appropriate for our community.

As long as a member of our community can answer “yes” to all four questions, they are welcome to continue that activity or behaviour. This is an excellent way to empower your young people to make decisions on their own and to make them feel safe and valued in the community we are building together.

The 4 S’s: safety, stewardship, servanthood, and self-esteem

  • Safety – Is it physically and emotionally safe?
  • Stewardship – Are you being a good steward of the earth?
  • Servanthood – Are you serving other people and our community?
  • Self-Esteem – Are you building someone’s self-esteem?
Our Guiding Principles – The 4 S’s