CIS-A2K/Events/MediaWiki Training/2019/CoC

OBJECTIVE

The Code of Conduct & Friendly Space Policy (CoCFSP) aims at ensuring friendly interaction and a non-discriminatory environment for all participants and actors in the events conducted by CIS-A2K.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

We seek to treat everyone as fairly and equally as possible. If someone has been harmed or offended, it is our responsibility to listen carefully and respectfully, and do our best to right the wrong. Although this list cannot be exhaustive, we explicitly honour diversity in age, gender, gender identity or expression, culture, ethnicity, language, national origin, political beliefs, profession, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and technical ability. We will not tolerate discrimination based on any of the protected characteristics above, including participants with disabilities.

Values we hold: The Wikimedia community strives to

Create a friendly and welcoming environment for all

This includes participants of all races, genders, sexual orientation, religions, nationalities, experience, social and economic class, castes, political standpoints, sizes, and mental/physical ability.

Show open-mindedness and respect in collaboration

Our work and knowledge are open to all to make Wikipedia/ Wikimedia projects better. Remember that people can and will build on your work and vice versa. When providing (and receiving) advice or criticism, be constructive, open-minded, and stay respectful. Conduct intellectual debates rather than personal attacks.

Remain professional, considerate, and stay sensitive

While it is very important to establish a personal relationship with other members, let us not forget the professional attitude we ought to maintain in the community. Inappropriate and insensitive actions or words can harm other members and essentially us as a whole community.

Embrace diversity; understand disagreement

We all come from a different background and hold different beliefs. Disagreement can be inevitable sometimes in our casual and professional interactions. Keep in mind that the diversity of our community is an asset instead of a drawback. Be willing to listen and understand each other’s viewpoints.

Show acceptance and patience

We all make mistakes and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.

DO’S

• Be kind and polite. Assume good faith in each other.
• Be patient and welcoming.
• Embrace and appreciate the diversity and differences among each other.
• Be careful and sensitive to your actions and words.
• Be a good listener.
• When disagreement or conflicts occur, discuss and resolve it in an open, civil, and respectful manner. Consult event organizers if needed.
• Obtain participants’ consent when taking pictures, videos, or posting anything on your social media.
• Respect personal space and privacy of all members
• Respect all speakers and raise questions without interrupting others and the flow of the program.
• Express discomfort if you find yourself in an uncomfortable environment or conversation.
• Point out or report harassment, discrimination, or personal attacks when it happens to the Support and Safety team. (Details about the team will be shared at the orientation)

Don’t

• Commit harassment or discrimination or engage in unacceptable behaviour in any forms (see section on unacceptable behaviour and how to report it).
• Directly or indirectly attack or maliciously criticize one’s identity, appearance, beliefs, opinions, or behaviour.
• Talk over another member in a group conversation or deliberately ignore their questions. (Let everyone have the chance to talk)
• Waste resources, be it food, electricity, paper, etc. Avoid using too much plastic. Let’s use biodegradable materials.
• Force members to participate in activities or conversation they do not wish to join or continue.
• Smoke and consume alcohol on the conference premises (including inside the hotel rooms and corridor). Let us not make others feel uncomfortable.

Unacceptable behaviour and how to report it

• Harassment and other types of inappropriate behaviour are unacceptable in all public and private Wikimedia technical spaces. Examples include but are not limited to:
• Personal attacks, violence, threats of violence, or deliberate intimidation.
• Offensive, derogatory, or discriminatory comments.
• Gratuitous or off-topic use of sexual language or imagery.
• Inappropriate or unwanted attention, touching, or physical contact (sexual or otherwise).
• Inappropriate or unwanted public or private communication, following, or any form of stalking.
• Unwanted photography or recording.
• Disclosure of a person's identity or other private information without their consent.
• Disclosure of some identifying information does not consent to disclose other identifying information.
• Inappropriate or unwanted publication of private communication. Publishing or reporting private communication or personally identifying information for the purposes of reporting harassment (as explained here) and/or in the case of whistleblowing, is acceptable.
• Harming the discussion or community with methods such as sustained disruption, interruption, or blocking of community collaboration (i.e. trolling).
• Discrimination, particularly against marginalized and otherwise underrepresented groups.
• Targeted outreach to such groups is allowed and encouraged.
• Using the code of conduct system for purposes other than reporting genuine violations of the code of conduct (e.g., retaliating against a reporter or victim by filing a report claiming their response was harassment).
• Attempting to circumvent a decision of the support and safety team e.g. unblocking someone during a period the team banned them.

How to report an issue

People who experience or observe unacceptable behaviour are encouraged to follow any of these steps:

• Ask the person who is behaving unacceptably to stop. Make them aware of this Code of Conduct.
• Report the problem directly to the Support and Safety team and/or event organisers.
• Support and Safety team members:Tito Dutta (titocis-india.org).
• You can also send feedback anonymously. Please follow this link here.

[This code of conduct was compiled from existing Wikimedia policies on friendly space and keeping events safe. Please see: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Code_of_Conduct and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Keeping_events_safe for more details]