About.
- Air For All is an Erasmus+ cofunded project (01.2023-02.2024).
- We strive to evolve a knowledge toolkit for [1] helping citizens to better understand the effects of air pollution, emissions and climate change, and for [2] helping cities to leverage civic participation for air quality data collection. [3] By this AirForAll digital forum we launched a freely accessible platform for knowledge transfer and capacity building both on EU and international level. - We will actively maintain this forum for at least 2 years after the project time.
Aim.
- In this forum we aim to make air quality knowledge open to everybody, regardless of scholarly or professional background, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, economic background, country of origin or employment, religious affiliation, and other differences.
- Because we come from different backgrounds, it is important to be intentional about providing respectful, equitable spaces — both online and in person — for our community to come together and engage in constructive, respectful discourse.
- Air For All is used for peaceful purposes and causes no harm.
Air For All is equitable.
-
Equity is different from equality; equality is about treating everyone exactly the same, while equity recognizes that everyone does not start from the same position and so treating everyone the same may leave them in the same uneven positions they began in. For this reason, we are intentional about actively reducing the inequitable barriers that stand between science and those who create, use, and learn from it. This document is written with this principle in mind.
-
This code of conduct applies to all Air For All spaces, both online and in person.
-
We take Code of Conduct violations very seriously. Therefore, individuals who violate this Code may affect their ability to participate in the Air For All forum, ranging from temporarily being placed into online moderation to, as a last resort, expulsion from the community including in-person events. If you have any questions about our commitment to this framework and/or if you are unsure about any aspects of it, please email contact@airforall.net and we will provide clarification.
-
This Code of Conduct falls under the purview of the Air For All moderators.
How To Report A Problem
-
In Person — Safety Officer or Air For All Organizers: If you are at an Air For All event with a designated Safety Officer, feel free to approach them or an organizer.
-
Via email — Air For All Organizers: If you experience or witness something in an AirForAll-hosted space in person or online, you can also email the organizers at contact@airforall.net
-
Once you have reported something, we will strive to contact you privately within the same day or in the first hour of the event’s start the following morning.
How It Works
- This Code is an effort to maintain a respectful space for everyone and to discuss what might happen if that space is compromised. Please see the guidelines below.
We listen.
-
We begin interactions by acknowledging that we are part of a community with complementary goals. When something has happened and someone is uncomfortable, our first choice is to work through it through discussion. We listen to each other.
-
For active listening, we ask questions first, instead of making statements.
-
We give people time and space to respond.
-
We appropriately adjust our behavior when asked to.
-
We know that repeating hurtful behavior after it has been addressed is disrespectful.
-
We avoid this ourselves and help others identify when they are doing it.
We practice consent.
-
At in-person gatherings, everyone’s physical space must be respected at all times. For example, there are many ways people greet each other. Before physically touching someone else, ask how they would like to be greeted.
-
Ask first.
-
We respect everyone else’s right to walk away at any time for any or no explicit reason.
-
If you see or experience a violation of consent on an AirForAll platform or at an AirForAll event, please contact the AirForAll organizers in person or on contact@airforall.net
-
Note that many forms of harassment do not look like physical or verbal abuse, but still fall into this category. Non-consent can include exhibiting sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, photography or recording without permission, sustained disruption of talks or conversations, inappropriate or unwelcome physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Examples of in-person community behavior
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Ask permission to take pictures of and post about others on social media (see Media Consent, below). | Do not upload photos, tag or mention others online without their consent. |
| Speak your own narrative, from your own unique experiences and culture. | Do not imitate the cultural expressions of groups you are not a member of, or dismiss people’s experiences as illegitimate or merely personal. |
| Use accessible language to talk about your area of expertise. Be aware and mindful if others in the group seem confused, slow down; stop and ask for input. | Do not present information in a way / language that no one else in the room can understand, with no attempt to include others in the discussion. |
| Give everyone a chance to talk. | Do not repeatedly disrupt a discussion. |
| Stop, listen and ask for clarification if someone perceives your behavior or presentation as violating the Code of Conduct. | Do not ignore or argue others’ request to stop potentially harmful behavior, even if it was an accident or you don’t mean it as it is being interpreted. |
| Use words that accurately describe the situation rather than culturally or socially loaded terms. | Do not use disability and mental/emotional health terminology to describe a situation metaphorically, even if it seems normal to use it. |
| Ask someone before you touch them, even when joking or greeting, unless the other person has given verbal consent. Hugs, cheek kisses, and handshakes are normal greetings in some cultures, but not in all cultures. | Do not initiate or simulate physical contact without consent, even if it seems normal. |
| Disengage and find another activity if someone did not invite you and is not engaging with you. | Do not violate personal space by continuing your physical presence into private spaces without consent. |
| Use an even tone, rate, and volume of voice when disagreeing. Note that differences will be common, and some will be irreconcilable in a diverse movement. | Do not verbally or physically abuse, harass, yell at, or intimidate any attendee, speaker, volunteer, or exhibitor. |
| Use the pronouns people have specified for themselves. | Do not purposely misgender someone (ie, refusing to use their correct gender pronouns) after they have told you their correct pronouns. |
| Step up and comment when you see violations occur by emailing code@openhardware.science or reporting to the designated person(s) at in-person events. | Do not expect that people who are subject to Code of Conduct violations are comfortable or able to address or report them themselves. |
| Respond to the point and content of what others are saying, e.g. “I think instead of x, we could do y”. | Do not respond to others in a way that makes things personal, e.g. “You are wrong about x”. |
Additional guidelines for online community behavior
- In addition to the guidelines above, online modes of interaction involve large numbers of people without the helpful presence of visual cues. Because of this, respectful and self-aware online conduct is especially important and challenging.
- In addition to the Code, which remains in play in online spaces, we created specific guidelines for online interactions.
- If someone violates these guidelines, someone from the Moderators group will place them into moderation by changing that person’s posting permission on the relevant list or forum, on the website, or both. Our triple notification standard for moderation means a point person from the AirForAll forum Moderators group will 1) email the person directly with a brief explanation of what was violated, 2) send a summary email to the rest of the moderators group, 3) if it happened on a public space (vs a website), notify the community that one of our members has been placed into moderation with a brief explanation of what is not tolerated.
- Moderators will strive to take these actions in a transparent and documented manner and treat these issues as an opportunity for all to learn how to be more upstanding and help hold a respectful culture.
If you wish to begin the process of getting out of moderation, respond to the email sent to you from contact@airforall.net
With just a few moderators, we rely on the AirForAll community to flag any code of conduct issues or violations.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Stay on topic to make long threads easier to follow. | Do not send unnecessary one-line responses that effectively “spam” hundreds of people and lower the overall content quality of a conversation. (expressions of appreciation and encouragement could be done, for example, via the “heart” emoticon or emoji in response to forum posts) |
| Start a new thread to help others follow along. Important if your response starts to significantly diverge from the original topic. | Do not respond with off-topic information, making it hard for the large group of readers to follow along. |
| Write short and literal subject lines to help the readers of the list manage the volume of communication. | Humor and euphemisms in subject lines are easily misunderstood, although enthusiasm is welcome! |
| Mind your tone. We are not having this conversation in person, so it is all the more important to maintain a tone of respect. | Do not write in an aggressive, disrespectful or mocking tone. Note: writing in all caps is regarded as shouting. |
Guidelines on Respect:
-
Overall, respect all participants in all ways at all times. In particular:
-
Respect the time limits: when we allocate a specific number of minutes for dialogue, please be mindful of our need to move forward on the agenda.
-
Focus on listening and honor whoever is speaking.
-
In particular, don’t interrupt others while they are speaking.
-
Please don’t make noises or gestures of disrespect such as rolling your eyes.
Guidelines on Inclusion:
-
Language: speak slowly and clearly for those who have English as a second language, and always make sure to avoid jargon and acronyms, using vocabulary everyone can understand.
-
A reminder as well that the AirForAll code of conduct applies to both in-person and virtual spaces.
-
Another useful resource is the Anti-Oppression Resource & Training Alliance (AORTA) meeting facilitation guidelines: http://dev.aorta.coop/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/AO-Facilitation-Resource-Sheet.pdf
Media Consent
- If at an AirForAll online/in-person meeting you are taking a photograph, let people in the room know.
- If you do not want to be in photos/videos taken by participants other than the official photographer, please communicate this to them. Though we cannot be responsible for enforcing this among attendees.
- Always check with parents about posting anything with minors (such as those less than 18 years old), and never post the name of a minor in conjunction with their photograph.
Consequences
- Anyone requested to stop behavior that violates the Code of Conduct is expected to comply immediately, even if they disagree with the request.
- The AirForAll organizers may take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the meeting without warning.
- The organizers reserve the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting.
By attending AirForAll events and participating in any AirForAll on/offline spaces, you are agreeing to this code of conduct.
This Code of Conduct has been adapted from other Code of Conducts, including those by GOSH, Public Lab, International Marine Conservation Congress 2016, and TransH4CK.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.