The Samvera community is dedicated to providing a welcoming and positive experience for all its members, whether they are at a formal gathering, in a social setting, or taking part in activities online. The Samvera community welcomes participation from people all over the world and these community members bring with them a wide variety of professional, personal and social backgrounds; whatever these may be, we treat colleagues with dignity and respect.
Community members communicate primarily in English, though for many of them this is not their native language. We therefore strive to express ourselves simply and clearly remembering that unnecessary use of jargon and slang will be a barrier to understanding for many of our colleagues. We are sensitive to the fact that the international nature of the community means that we span many different social norms around language and behaviour and we strive to conduct ourselves, online and in person, in ways that are unlikely to cause offence.
Samvera conversations are often information-rich and intended to generate discussion and debate. We discuss ideas from a standpoint of mutual respect and reasoned argument.
Community members work together to promote a respectful and safe community. In the event that someone’s conduct is causing offence or distress, Samvera has a detailed Anti-Harassment Policy which can be applied to address the problem. The first step in dealing with any serious misconduct is to contact a local meeting organizer, the Samvera Community Helpers (email), a community member you trust, or the Samvera Steering Group membership immediately; at Samvera events, these people can be identified by distinctive name badges. The Anti-Harassment Policy should be consulted for fuller details.
License
This document is licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA. It is based on a document originally developed by the Open Repositories conference.