The Reimagining Unconference - Code of Conduct
All persons who join or participate in The Reimagining Unconference activities, regardless of platform or program must follow our Code of Conduct below:
1. Purpose
A primary goal of The Reimagining Unconference, also referred to as “RU”, is to be inclusive to the largest number of participants, with the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability (or lack thereof).
- This Code of Conduct isn’t an exhaustive list of things you can’t do. Rather, take it with the spirit in which it’s intended - a guide to make it easier to enrich all of us and the technical communities in which we participate.
- This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our online community platform, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.
We invite all those who participate in RU activities to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.
2. Applicability and Scope
This code of conduct is inclusive of RU online community spaces, including public channels, private channels, threads, direct messages, voice rooms, comment sections, and live events, both online and off. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from these spaces at the discretion of RU.
3. Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Culture
Communities mirror the societies in which they exist and positive action is essential to counteract the many forms of inequality and abuses of power that exist in society.
If you see someone who is making an extra effort to ensure our community is welcoming, friendly, and encourages all participants to contribute to the fullest extent, please recognize their efforts.
4. Expected Behavior
The following behaviors are expected and requested of all RU participants:
- Be friendly and patient.
- Be welcoming. We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
- Be considerate. Your work can be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect users and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that we're a world-wide community, so you might not be communicating with someone in their primary language.
- Be respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Participants of the RU community should be respectful when dealing with other participants as well as with people outside the RU community.
- Be careful in the words that you choose. We are a community of diverse human beings. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Violent threats or language directed against another person.
- Discriminatory jokes and language.
- Posting sexually explicit or violent material.
- Posting (or threatening to post) other people's personally identifying information ("doxing").
- Personal insults, especially those using racist, sexist, transphobic, xenophobic, fat-phobic or homophobic terms.
- Unwelcome sexual attention.
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
- Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop.
- Be aware of potentially activating (sometimes called “triggering”) content or resources and give users agency in choosing whether to view or engage with potentially sensitive content. For example, use content warning labels to precede potentially sensitive content with a [content warning] label in the main thread, then share the content in a reply thread. Avoid behaviors that automatically expose potentially activating content to all users. For more on the use of content warnings, see:
- https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/healthy-academics/strategies/trauma-informed/trigger-warnings/ and
- https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/an-introduction-to-content-warnings-and-trigger-warnings/
- When we disagree, try to understand why. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and the RU community is no exception. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different. Our collective strength comes from its varied community, people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that it is human to err and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
- The REIMG team reserves the right to delete excessive self-promotional, commercial, or potentially harmful posts. These decisions are made by RU in its sole discretion.
5. Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior
Unacceptable behavior from any participant, including RU community contributors, sponsors, and co-creators, and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.
- Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
- If a community participant engages in unacceptable behavior, we may take any action deemed appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the RU community without warning.
6. Reporting Guidelines
Process for reporting a group setting issue:
- Participant shall, in a timely fashion, report the matter to the RU organizing team by emailing hello@ReimaginingUnconference.com.
- The RU organizing team will review the matter and any related information provided.
- The RU organizing team will talk with both parties involved.
- The RU organizing team will make a decision on resolve (ie. removing one or both parties from the group, changing groups, altering their service from a group setting to a one-on-one setting).
If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify us as soon as possible by emailing hello@ReimaginingUnconference.com or direct messaging a RU team member in our online community platform.
7. Addressing Issues
Only permanent resolutions (such as bans) may be changed. To discuss a decision, contact the RU team at hello@ReimaginingUnconference.com and we will review your question.
8. License and attribution
This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Startups for All (SfA) Code of Conduct, Creative Commons Slack/Code of Conduct and distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Major portions of text derived from the Django Code of Conduct and the Geek Feminism Anti-Harassment Policy.
###