The Reciprocal Perception and Care Model

The Reciprocal Perception and Care Model is the ethical foundation of IncuBrighter.
Created by founder Leah Buzek, RPCM starts from a simple but transformative premise:

The moment we perceive one another, we become mutually responsible for the impact of that perception.

In other words: seeing creates vulnerability, and vulnerability creates obligation.

RPCM reframes care ethics away from charity, sentiment, or saviorism and toward a grounded, relational responsibility rooted in everyday human encounters. It recognizes that our lives are embedded in systems, families, communities, and institutions—and that the way we see, interpret, and respond to one another shapes the environments we all live in.

RPCM is not abstract philosophy.
It is a practical design principle woven into every program IncuBrighter builds.

What RPCM Means

RPCM rests on three core ideas:

1. Perception is an ethical event.

When we encounter someone—whether a client, neighbor, student, coworker, or community member—we form an impression. That impression influences how we treat them. RPCM argues that those small moments carry moral weight.

2. Care is not optional in caregiving environments.

In systems that support youth, families, and vulnerable communities, neutrality is impossible. Our responses either reinforce safety or erode it. RPCM guides us toward the former.

3. Responsibility is shared, not one-sided.

RPCM is not about rescuing people.
It’s about recognizing that we are in relationship—and relationships always generate responsibility.

Why RPCM Matters

Most ethical frameworks in the nonprofit and human services world focus on rules, compliance, or protecting institutions. RPCM shifts the lens back to people—how they hold one another, how they harm one another, and how they can repair and support one another through intentional structure.

RPCM helps organizations:

  • understand the relational impact of their decisions

  • design programs with dignity and humanity at the center

  • avoid unintentional harm and gatekeeping

  • create systems that match the realities of lived experience

  • build environments where people can belong—not just participate

RPCM grounds every IncuBrighter initiative, including:

  • TRACEs (Trauma & Relational Adversity in Caregiving Environments)

  • EPI Leadership (Experts by Personal Impact)

  • PassingFire, Small Acts of Magic, SurroundSound, and the Community Collaborative

  • all training, program design, and systems-building work

RPCM in Practice

RPCM is intentionally simple so it can move through complex systems.

It shows up in the questions we ask:
What did this person’s environment teach them to expect? What did we assume? What did our response communicate?

It shows up in the programs we build:
Do our structures reflect care? Predictability? Cultural humility?

It shows up in leadership:
Are we perceiving people clearly? Responding responsibly? Repairing when needed?

RPCM gives leaders and practitioners a shared language for designing ethical, relational, and trauma-aware systems.

The Heart of RPCM

RPCM is built on the belief that:

Your humanity is enough.
You belong.
And once I see you, I am responsible for not causing harm.

Care is not a feeling—it’s a practice.
RPCM is the structure that makes that practice possible.