Code of conduct

Manifesto

Thirteen principles that shape us as a community. Everything else on this page rests on them.

1. We encourage mutual help and sharing knowledge

   What we do inside the community aims at everyone's wellbeing and professional growth. Helping and sharing is what drives us, and we want a place where collaboration and mutual support come first.

2. We empower the people who make things happen

   How much each person can give depends on their situation and their energy at any given moment, and that changes over time. We accept it as a natural part of growing together. We leave ego at the door, welcome people and back anyone who wants to contribute, however long they have been in the group. The only requirement is that what they do fits these principles and goals.

3. We embrace mistakes, but we act responsibly

   Getting things wrong is human and part of learning. Even so, we act responsibly, above all when a mistake can affect other people or the community, and we own the consequences.

   We value feedback and regular retrospectives: they help us learn from mistakes and keep improving together.

4. We prefer done to perfect

   What never gets done can never be improved. Better to start with an imperfect version than to stall in analysis or red tape.

   There will always be a chance for anyone to improve what already exists. Reviewing, proposing changes and improving procedures, documents and other resources is a natural part of how the community grows.

5. We make handovers easy and avoid dependency

   People's circumstances and priorities change. That is why we share every resource (documents, slides, designs) in the official channels, following the guidelines the group agrees on. It makes collaborating and taking over easier, and no task gets stuck because it depends on one person. This applies to everyone, admins included.

6. We value everyone's time

   Asking for help is fine, and we do it with respect for other people's time. Many people here are already deeply committed to other communities, and time is scarce.

   Since everything important is documented, before asking for help we look (or ask) whether something already solves the problem.

7. We prefer autonomy to bureaucracy

   We want everyone to have the means, tools and procedures to stay informed and move forward on their own. Anyone can pick up a pending task or start a new initiative without waiting for formal approval. It keeps us fast, avoids blockers and lets each person contribute on their own initiative.

   Always with responsibility and common sense, marking a resource as "draft" or "proposal" when needed.

8. We act transparently

   All the activity and resources we create are public and open to anyone, inside or outside the community. The only exceptions are those holding sensitive information, such as personal data or management documents: the admin team looks after those, together with whoever the community appoints.

9. We listen and adapt to what is needed

   These principles are not set in stone. They can change for internal or external reasons, or because it is needed to keep the group in harmony and well. We would rather stay flexible and respond to what the community needs, so it stays open and alive.

10. We work as a team

    We start from the idea that every contribution is made in good faith and with the wish to help. Anyone who wants to take part in an initiative can.

11. We respect and tolerate

    We want a place where everyone feels safe and respected. We commit to an environment free of abuse, where harassment is not accepted under any circumstances, and anyone who breaks these rules faces sanctions, up to removal from the community.

    If you suffer abusive behaviour, see someone being harassed or a conflict comes up, further down you will find how to resolve it and how to tell us.

12. We do what gives us the most

    Everyone has their own motivation and their own moment, so each person chooses how much they do and what. One day we are at an online meetup, another on a specific project, another organising an event and another having a drink and talking about pink unicorns. We value flexibility and enthusiasm: everyone takes part in what drives them, when and how they want, with no minimum commitment.

13. We are committed to these principles

    Anyone who wants to be an active part of the community should know, understand and share these principles. And all of us commit to acting and behaving in line with them.

Where it applies

Everything Arcasiles organises, before, during and after: talks, workshops, concerts, meetups and the time afterwards when we organise it. Also our online spaces: the Meetup and WhatsApp groups, Luma, livestreams and our social channels.

• It applies to everyone: attendees, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, the organising team and the people who join us from the venues that host us.
• We look after every venue that hosts us, follow its rules and leave it better than we found it.

What we expect

• Really listen: a group holds every level, and whoever starts today is the community's future.
• Use language that welcomes everyone, and respect points of view and experiences different from yours.
• Take constructive criticism gracefully, and give it with care when it is your turn.
• Respect other people's time and space, on and off the stage.
• If you have knowledge to spare, share it; if you lack it, ask without fear.

What we don't tolerate

We want nobody to feel unsafe, uncomfortable or intimidated, whatever their age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, appearance, origin, religion or level of experience. Among other things, we don't tolerate:

• Offensive, discriminatory or demeaning remarks, jokes included.
• Harassment of any kind, in person or by message.
• Unwanted physical contact, sexual attention or advances nobody asked for.
• Sexual language or imagery in talks, slides, stands or groups.
• Intimidating, following or pressing someone after a no.
• Photographing or recording someone who has asked you not to, or publishing their image without permission.
• Publishing someone else's personal details without their permission.
• Repeatedly disrupting a talk or an activity.
• Drinking to the point of bothering others: alcohol excuses none of this.
• Personal attacks, trolling or spam in the online groups.
• Persistent commercial intrusiveness: there are channels to sponsor and business is discussed there, not outside a talk.

Speakers and sponsors

Whoever takes the stage or sets up a stand sets the tone of the event, so we ask a little more of them.

• Talks and slides without sexual imagery or jokes that put anyone down. If you cover a sensitive topic, say so at the start.
• Keep to your slot: the next one belongs to someone else.
• Stands, giveaways and sponsor material follow this same code.
• No aggressive selling, and contact details are asked for, never taken: only with each person's permission.

Resolving conflicts

Most friction is sorted out by talking. Before escalating, a few tips that help us:

• Empathise: get to know the other person and their context.
• Listen: with respect and in a positive way.
• Focus on the problem, not the person: don't take things personally.
• Stay calm: take your time and don't let strong emotions take over.
• Talk: once things have cooled down, talk it through to clear up what happened. In person if you can; if not, by video or phone call, and if not, in writing.

How to tell us

If you suffer or witness harassment, if someone breaks this code or if a conflict doesn't get sorted by talking, tell us. We listen to every case.

By email, write to info@arcasiles.com and only the team that handles cases will read it. You can leave your name out if you prefer, though that makes it harder for us to follow up.

• At the event, tell anyone on the organising team in person; you'll recognise them by their badge. We'll take you somewhere quiet and, if needed, alert the venue's security.
• In the WhatsApp or Meetup groups, message whoever runs the group privately. Cases are not discussed in the group: flag it there and the case is followed up privately.
• If there is immediate danger, call 112 first.
• We handle every case confidentially: we share only what is strictly needed and never your identity without your permission.

What we do next

We review every case with discretion and as soon as we can, and escalate it to the group's administration. Depending on what happened, we may:

• Talk to the person and ask them to stop.
• Give them a warning.
• Stop a talk or close a stand.
• Ask them to leave the event, with no refund of the ticket if there was one.
• Bar them from future events and remove them from the online groups.
• Alert the venue's security or the authorities.

Questions, improvements and acceptance

If anything is unclear, ask in any of the community channels. And this code can surely be improved: if you have a proposal, share it through those same channels.

You accept this code when you join the community or come to any of our events. The current version is always the one on this page.

Thanks to Community Builder for such a lovely manifesto.