Code of Conduct

Overview

We aim to be inclusive to the largest number of contributors (teachers and students), with the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible. We are committed to providing a friendly, safe, welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, age.

We aim to create a safe space in terms of it being completely free of bias and prejudice, however, we also aim want to be open to radical ideas and different cultures.

We want to adopt a collective approach to create a safe and comfortable environment for everyone. Let’s all assume an active role to help foster this.

OK behaviour

Let’s all:

• Participate honestly.
• Be considerate in our discussions.
• Attempt synthesis instead of conflict.
• Be mindful of surroundings and of fellow participants.
• Attempt to help if we notice someone struggling.
• Alert fellow community members if we notice someone in distress.

Not OK behaviour

Not OK behaviour includes intimidation, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, demeaning speech or actions by any participant, regardless of their popularity and prominence.

We do not welcome quasi-unfriendly responses and social cues. For example, it’s an uncomfortable feeling that one experiences when they ask something along the lines of “what is X” or “who is Y” and someone else responds with “What?! I can’t believe you don’t know what X is!” or "Wow! You don’t know who Y is?!”. Let’s all refrain from these. Asking about things one does not know is something we want to enable and augment as much as possible—not the opposite.

Not OK behaviour is absolutely not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to stop not OK behaviour is expected to comply immediately.

Handling Conflict

Inevitably, there will be disagreements and conflict. How we handle them is one more indication of our skills and the quality of our community. It’s hard to establish rigid rules for such matters, so please consider the following:

• Let’s try that our solutions include everyone’s needs. This is in contrast to assuming everyone will fend for themselves.
• We want to be a space that will make space for something different to exist. With this in mind, let’s try to reconcile differences in a way that multiple ideas can flourish.

Incident Response

We have a strong commitment to creating an open space where everybody feels welcomed. We take this part very seriously while at the same time we want to act with kindness and understanding for all community members. If there is potentially problematic behaviour, or even if there is behaviour not outlined as unacceptable by this text yet it causes discomfort, please consider following the steps.

1. Take some space. Consider creating some distance between you and the person who’s engaging at potentially unacceptable behaviour. This will hopefully help one see the incident more clearly.
2. Notify someone else. Hopefully there is someone in this event you find trustworthy. Share your concern with them, see what they think.
3. Identify the issue. It’s a good idea to acquire a clear understanding of the problematic behavior so that it can be communicated clearly and effectively.
4. Assess response. Various levels of response are valid. In addition to one’s current actions, it’s worth taking into consideration past actions as well as their response. Did they become aware of their problematic behaviour? Have they repeatedly ignored signs of their behaviour causing stress? Has anyone talked to them about this before?
5. Act. This can be either talking to them direclty, talking to someone else, or even bringing the problem forward as a group discussion. Eventually, the community can decide how to handle the matter together.

Scope

We expect all community participants to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues — online and in-person — as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to community business.

Past Incidents

We plan to keep a log of incidents along with our response to them. List currently empty.

Thanks

We want to thank the authors of the followings codes and etiquettes who indirectly helped us define and refine this text: Berlin Code of Conduct Portland Ruby Brigade Recurse Center Code of Conduct FractalU Etiquette