Community Policy 1.0

Introduction

TinkerHub Foundation is a non-profit organisation which promotes the creation of tech-talent focused among youth, through equipping individuals with emerging technology skill sets, which would accelerate innovation within one's learning path, and make them future-ready. As a community that upholds the openness, inclusion and collaboration, we strive to provide a safe and positive experience for its members.

The following guidelines aim to support TinkerHub community where all people should feel safe to participate, introduce new ideas and inspire others, regardless of:

  • Background
  • Family status
  • Gender
  • Gender identity or expression
  • Marital status
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation
  • Native language
  • Age
  • Ability
  • Race and/or ethnicity
  • National origin
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Religion
  • Geographic location
  • Any other dimension of diversity

TinkerHub Foundation expects it's our members to be following the code of conduct without any fail and uphold our core values like Openness, Collaboration, Inclusion and Participation. We gain strength from diversity and actively seek participation from those who enhance it. These guidelines exist to enable diverse individuals and groups to interact and collaborate to mutual advantage. This document outlines both expected and prohibited behaviour.

When and How to Use These Guidelines

These guidelines outline our behaviour expectations as members of the TinkerHub community in all TinkerHub activities - both Offline and Online. Your participation is contingent upon following these guidelines in all TinkerHub activities, including but not limited to:

  • Working in Community Spaces or Associated
  • Working with other Community Members and other participants virtually or co-located.
  • Representing TinkerHub at public events.
  • Representing TinkerHub in social media/virtual media (official accounts, staff accounts, personal accounts and platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Telegram, WhatsApp).
  • Participating in TinkerHub events, offsites and training.
  • Participating in TinkerHub-related forums, mailing lists, wikis, websites, chat channels, group or person-to-person meetings, and TinkerHub-related correspondence.
  • These guidelines work in conjunction with our Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policies, which sets out protections for, and obligations of, TinkerHub Core Team.

While these guidelines/code of conduct are specifically aimed at the smooth functioning of a community, we expect to facilitate healthy discussions around the inclusion and community members are more than welcome to suggest any changes if needed.

Expected Behaviour:

The following behaviours are expected of all TinkerHub Members:

Be Respectful

Value each other's ideas, styles and viewpoints. We may not always agree, but disagreement is no excuse for poor manners. Be open to different possibilities and being wrong. Be kind in all interactions and communications, especially when debating the merits of different options. Be aware of your impact and how intense interactions may be affecting people. Be direct, constructive and positive. Take responsibility for your impact and your mistakes -- if someone says they have been harmed through your words or actions, listen carefully, apologize sincerely, and correct the behaviour going forward.

Be Direct but Professional

We are likely to have some discussions about if and when criticism is respectful and when it's not. We must be able to speak directly when we disagree and when we think we need to improve. We cannot withhold hard truths. Doing so respectfully is hard, doing so when others don't seem to be listening is harder, and hearing such comments when one is the recipient can be even harder still. We need to be honest and direct, as well as respectful.

Be Inclusive

Seek diverse perspectives. Diversity of views and of people on teams powers innovation, even if it is not always comfortable. Encourage all voices. Help new perspectives be heard and listen actively. If you find yourself dominating a discussion, it is especially important to step back and encourage other voices to join in. Be aware of how much time is taken up by dominant members of the group. Provide alternative ways to contribute or participate when possible.

Be inclusive of everyone in an interaction, respecting and facilitating people's participation whether they are:

  • Remote (on video or phone)
  • Not native language speakers
  • Coming from a different culture
  • Using pronouns other than "he" or "she"
  • Living in a different time zone
  • Facing other challenges to participate

Think about how you might facilitate alternative ways to contribute or participate. If you find yourself dominating a discussion, step back. Make way for other voices and listen actively to them.

Understand Different Perspectives

Our goal should not be to "win" every disagreement or argument. A more productive goal is to be open to ideas that make our own ideas better. Strive to be an example of inclusive thinking. "Winning" is when different perspectives make our work richer and stronger.

Appreciate and Accommodate Our Similarities and Differences

TinkerHub Members come from many cultures and backgrounds. Cultural differences can encompass everything from official religious observances to personal habits to clothing. Be respectful of people with different cultural practices, attitudes and beliefs. Work to eliminate your own biases, prejudices and discriminatory practices. Think of others' needs from their point of view. Use preferred titles (including pronouns) and the appropriate tone of voice. Respect people's right to privacy and confidentiality. Be open to learning from and educating others as well as educating yourself; it is unrealistic to expect Community Members to know the cultural practices of every ethnic and cultural group, but everyone needs to recognize one's native culture is only part of positive interactions.

Lead by Example

By matching your actions with your words, you become a person others want to follow. Your actions influence others to behave and respond in ways that are valuable and appropriate for our organizational outcomes. Design your community and your work for inclusion. Hold yourself and others accountable for inclusive behaviours. Make decisions based on the highest good for TinkerHub's mission.

Behaviours That Will Not Be Tolerated:

The following behaviours are considered to be unacceptable under these guidelines.

Violence and Threats of Violence

Violence and threats of violence are not acceptable - online or offline. This includes incitement of violence toward any individual, including encouraging a person to commit self-harm. This also includes posting or threatening to post other people's personally identifying information online.

Personal Attacks

Conflicts will inevitably arise, but frustration should never turn into a personal attack. It is not okay to insult, demean or belittle others. Attacking someone for their opinions, beliefs and ideas is not acceptable. It is important to speak directly when we disagree and when we think we need to improve, but such discussions must be conducted respectfully and professionally, remaining focused on the issue at hand.

Derogatory Language

Hurtful or harmful language related to:

  • Background
  • Family status
  • Gender
  • Gender identity or expression
  • Marital status
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation
  • Native language
  • Age
  • Ability
  • Race and/or ethnicity
  • National origin
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Religion
  • Geographic location
  • Other attributes

is not acceptable. This includes deliberately referring to someone by a gender that they do not identify with, and/or questioning the legitimacy of an individual's gender identity. If you are unsure if a word is derogatory, don't use it. This also includes repeated subtle and/or indirect discrimination; when asked to stop, stop the behaviour in question.

Unwelcome Sexual Attention or Physical Contact:

Unwelcome sexual attention or unwelcome physical contact is not acceptable. This includes sexualized comments, jokes or imagery in interactions, communications or presentation materials, as well as inappropriate touching, groping, or sexual advances. This includes touching a person without permission, including sensitive areas such as their hair, pregnant stomach, mobility device (wheelchair, scooter, etc) or tattoos. This also includes physically blocking or intimidating another person. Physical contact or simulated physical contact (such as emojis like "kiss") without affirmative consent is not acceptable. This includes sharing or distribution of sexualized images or text.

Disruptive Behavior

Sustained disruption of events, forums, or meetings, including talks and presentations, will not be tolerated. This includes:

  • 'Talking over' or 'heckling' speakers.
  • Drinking alcohol to excess or using recreational drugs to excess, or pushing others to do so.
  • Making derogatory comments about those who abstain from alcohol or other substances, pushing people to drink, talking about their abstinence or preferences to others, or pressuring them to drink - physically or through jeering.
  • Otherwise influencing crowd actions that cause hostility in the session.
  • Influencing Unacceptable Behavior
  • We will treat influencing or leading such activities the same way we treat the activities themselves, and thus the same consequences apply.

How to engage in Healthy Discussions & Debates?

The following sets of guidelines or 'ground rules' is created to make sure that we as a community engage in healthy conversations about various topics from time to time.

  • Our primary commitment is to learn from each other. We will listen to each other and not talk at each other. We acknowledge differences amongst us in backgrounds, skills, interests, and values. We realize that it is these very differences that will increase our awareness and understanding through this process.
  • Supporting Inclusivity is our vision. We want to create an atmosphere for open, honest exchange between all members. Be careful not to generalize about people as we do recognize and/or remember that we have different backgrounds. Consider who gets left out, who is marginalized, under-represented, or erased by particular claims. So, for example, we could say, "That's an image of an ideal family," or we could say, "That may be an image of an ideal family for many middle-class, religiously superior(caste), heterosexual people."
  • We will not demean, devalue, or "put down" people for their experiences, lack of experiences, or difference in interpretation of those experiences. Don't interrupt or engage in private conversations while others are speaking. Be aware of messages you may be communicating with your body language or virtual tools (Emoji's, GIFs, Meme's etc) & expressions in an online environment. We each have an obligation to actively combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other groups so that we can break down the walls which prohibit individual development, group progress and cooperation and group gain.
  • We will trust that people are always doing the best they can. We will assume that people are always doing the best they can, both to learn the material and to behave in non-biased and multi culturally productive ways. As an open community we acknowledge the freedom of speech but be mindful that it has to be aligning with the larger vision of the community. Be careful about how you use humor or irony during the discussions. Keep in mind that we don't all find the same things funny - sometimes benign humour can be offensive too and hence refrain from such temptations.
  • Challenge the idea and not the person. If we wish to challenge something that has been said, we will challenge the idea or the practice referred to, not the individual sharing this idea or practice. If you are uncertain about someone else's approach, ask a question to explore areas of uncertainty. Listen respectfully to how and why the approach could work.
  • Speak your discomfort. Listen and also share. Share briefly from your own experiences when appropriate, rather than simply your positions. If something is bothering you, please share this with the group. Often our emotional reactions to this process offer the most valuable learning opportunities.
  • Sensitive Topics need not be avoided. We acknowledge that sexism, classism, racism, heterosexism, and other forms of discrimination (gender, religion, age, ability, language, education, size, geographic location etc.) exist and may surface from time to time.We acknowledge that one of the meanings of sexism, classism, racism is that we have been systematically taught misinformation about our own group and members of devalued groups (this is true for both dominant and dominated group members). The same is true about elitism and other forms of prejudice or bias -- we are taught misinformation about others and ourselves.

When we are discussing topics like race, religion, gender, oppression, minorities, rule of thumb is always let the minorities speak for themselves. None of us have rights to co-opt any movements as we can only empathise what they have been through. So start understanding the issue from people who face it rather than assuming and making statements. Try to listen and learn from them before positioning yourself as an ally.

  • Step Up, Step Back. Be mindful of taking up much more space than others. On the same note, empower yourself to speak up when others are dominating the conversation. Try not to silence yourself out of concern for what others will think about what you say. If you have an idea, don't wait for someone else to say it; say it yourself. If you have a tendency to contribute often, give others the opportunity to speak.
  • Accountability & Responsibility: Ask Questions more than making statements. And make sure to use "I" statements to state your views. For example, "I notice that when I'm with my friends we pay attention differently" is more constructive than "When you're with friends you pay attention differently." Let's assume that we all will be having civil conversations. But any chances of discussions turning into a violation of code of conduct, could be prevented by right intervention. An apology is served right for the larger community to show the accountability for one's actions.

Reporting

If you believe you're experiencing unacceptable behaviour that will not be tolerated as outlined above, please make sure to report to us via report@tinkerhub.org If you observe a potentially dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of these guidelines, even if the situation is not happening to you, as a community member you have the right to report an unacceptable incident. If you feel you have been unfairly accused of violating these guidelines, please follow the same reporting process.

After receiving a concise description of your situation, TinkerHub Team will review and determine the next steps. In addition to conducting any investigation, they can provide a range of resources, from a private consultation to other community resources. They will involve other colleagues or outside specialists (such as legal counsel), as needed to appropriately address each situation.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behaviour from any community member, including those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated. Intentional efforts to exclude people (except as part of a consequence of the guidelines or other official action) from TinkerHub activities are not acceptable and will be dealt with appropriately.

Reports of harassment/discrimination will be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the people responsible for the safety of the space, event or activity. Appropriate measures will be taken to address the situation.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately. Violation of these guidelines can result in you being asked to leave an event or online space, either temporarily or for the duration of the event, or being banned from participation in TinkerHub Community Spaces, or future events and activities in perpetuity.

Privacy Guidelines

TinkerHub Activity Policies

All TinkerHub activities/events will be following this community guideline and organisers/event leader is mandated to provide with emergency and anti-abuse contacts at the event as well as online. These contacts will be posted prominently throughout the event and in print and online materials. Event leaders are requested to speak at the event about the guidelines and to ask participants to review and agree to them when they sign up for the event.

Reports will receive email notification of receipt. Once an incident has been investigated and a decision has been communicated to the relevant parties, all have the opportunity to appeal this decision by sending an email to report@tinkerhub.org. TinkerHub Team will make sure to respond within 48 hours (or on the next weekday, if it is the weekend) if you reach out to report@tinkerhub.org

POSH/ Vishaka Guidelines

All members are held accountable to Vishaka Guidelines in addition to these guidelines. Any TinkerHub Core Team/ Founders/ Community Members/ Associated Members in violation of these guidelines may be subject to further consequences, such as disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment/contract/membership as well as judicial inquiry in case of a criminal complaint as per the applicable jurisdiction.

In addition, any participants who abuse the reporting process will be considered to be in violation of these guidelines and subject to the same consequences. False reporting, especially to retaliate or exclude, will not be accepted or tolerated.

TinkerHub Members

  • Founders, Board of Members, Core Team as described in TinkerHub Website, Community Members (Anyone who is part of the TinkerHub formal or informal channel), Associated Members( Anyone who is partly associated with TinkerHub as an advisor, mentor, partnering organization or part of TinkerHub Community/Spaces directly or indirectly)

TinkerHub Spaces

Each physical or virtual TinkerHub space shall have a designated contact i.e. Any physical facility or virtual groups such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp, Discord, Mail Groups etc

Concerns

Everyone is encouraged to ask questions about these guidelines. If you are organizing an event or activity, reach out for tips building inclusion for your event, activity or space.

Modifications to these guidelines

TinkerHub may amend the guidelines from time to time and may also vary the procedures it sets out where appropriate in a particular case. Your agreement to comply with the guidelines will be deemed agreement to any changes to it.

License and Attribution

This set of guidelines is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license. This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License and credits are given to Mozilla Community Contributors as well.