SisterSpirit Respectful Communication Policy

SisterSpirit
Respectful Communication Policy

Expectations for participation in SisterSpirit
meetings, groups, and online forums:
Create a safe and respectful atmosphere for discussion.
Assume good intentions, and give others the benefit of the doubt.
Speak honestly from your own experience, and recognize that each person’s experience is sacred to them.
Listen non-judgmentally to understand others’ perspectives.
It’s fine to disagree, while respecting one another’s ideas.
Treat others with consideration, including ensuring time for all to speak.
Recognize that this is an eclectic women’s Goddess community, and each woman represents a face of the Goddess.
Respect others’ wisdom and your own.
SisterSpirit
meetings, groups and online forums shall be free from:
Abusive language, which includes:
* Insults or name-calling
* Demeaning someone's character as a person
* Demeaning or stereotyping someone based on her identity (i.e., racist, homophobic, ageist, able-ist or other oppressive language)
Threatening language or conduct, which includes:
* Explicit or implied threats to do physical, emotional or spiritual harm to another person
* Physical actions that would reasonably lead another person to believe she is in danger of physical, emotional or spiritual harm.
SisterSpirit respects different communication styles arising from our diverse life experiences.
No statement shall be deemed abusive or threatening merely because it contains profanity, is couched in rough language, is stated vehemently or makes someone uncomfortable to hear.
Rather, the key factor shall be whether the statement hurtfully targets another person, or reasonably causes her alarm for her safety.
In print media, including online:
Observe the above guidelines.
Recognize that what you do and say reflects on the SisterSpirit community.
Address comments that pertain to specific persons to them in private messages.
Read what you write before you hit send! Spell check can create havoc!
Consider the impact of visual images when posting.
Distinguish between your personal opinions and the organizational positions of SisterSpirit (i.e., those statements, policies, etc. adopted by Council).
In official SisterSpirit media:
Observe the above guidelines.
Always include the SisterSpirit description.
Post the SisterSpirit Statement of Purpose frequently.
Consider all posts, in writing or visual, in light of the above core statements.
Adopted at the Annual Members’ Meeting 2/26/2017