Anytime people gather as a group we form both a community and a culture. Live Well Kingston seeks a community and culture that is respectful, comfortable, open, curious, and kind. Community Agreements help us identify concrete ways to create that culture and to talk about and through conflict. Using these practices and tools we can challenge ourselves and each other while still recognizing we’re all coming from different places of knowing and transforming.
Special thanks to NESAWG for the inspiration and content.
Our Community Agreements are:
Be Curious, Open, and Respectful – call in, not out/throw sunshine, not shade
No one knows everything – together we know a lot
We can’t be articulate all the time – give the benefit of the doubt and ask questions
We take care of ourselves – stretch, eat, drink, use restroom, rest, etc.
Confidentiality – don’t speak for others without explicit permission, don’t share something communicated in a private or safe space
One mic – one voice at a time
Take Space/Make Space – if you are usually quiet, challenge yourself to take more space, and if you usually talk a lot, be mindful to leave room for quieter voices
Avoid Jargon, Acronyms, and Industry language – use inclusive language that is accessible for people with varying inside knowledge
Be aware of time – enough let’s move on (ELMO) means if what you wanted to say has already been said, don’t say it
Speak from your own experience – Use I statements rather than generalizations
Be conscious of intent vs. impact – no matter intention you’re responsible for your impact
Avoid using isms without explaining what you mean by them