Building a Welcoming Community
ng-conf is more than a conference. It’s a community! The lessons learned and the friendships made at the annual event continue throughout the entire year. The organizing committee works to ever grow the ng-conf community. We desire a community where ALL feel welcome. A requirement for all ng-conf participants is that you adhere to this goal, and abide by the guidance in this document.
To help all feel welcome and safe, we ask that you approach each interaction with your fellow community members as an opportunity to help each other grow. This includes your words and silence, your actions and inactions. Each of these can affect the way those around you feel. With that in mind, it is best to take a considerate and empathetic approach with all those you meet in the ng-conf community, both in-person and online.
Building a place that’s welcoming to all is not easy. It requires each of us (organizers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees) to form a partnership, with the same goals and desires in mind. Each participant is expected to uphold this code of conduct. Whether you are inside the event hall, at one of our after-hours events, away from the event with other community members, or interacting with the community virtually before or after events, the expectation of conduct is the same.
We’ve established a safe and confidential way for any participant to report a violation of this code of conduct. If you experience or see something that goes against these values, please reach out to us. We will get involved and help everyone feel comfortable again.
How To Report A Violation:
If you need to report a violation of the code of conduct, please send an email to info@ng-conf.org and describe the violation. Please provide as much info as you feel comfortable providing.
- Your contact info (to follow up with you)
- Date and time of the incident
- Location of incident
- Description of the incident
Any other helpful information, such as whether you are worried about any retaliation.
In case of a conflict of interest, feel free to contact this CoC lead member directly: Sunny Leggett: sunny@ZeroSlopeEvents.com
Tips For Avoiding CoC Violations:
Avoid using language that can be offensive. This includes topics that can make others feel threatened and/or uncomfortable (including excessive swearing). Insensitivity and/or jokes towards the following are violations of the code of conduct: gender, gender identity, and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size/shape, race, religion, age. Avoid topics and issues that are polarizing. These topics will very likely make others uncomfortable.
Avoid trying to further romantic interests. Unwanted verbal advances or suggestive and flirtatious physical contact are the most certain ways to make someone feel threatened, uncomfortable and/or harassed.
Avoid dishonesty and bullying. Mean people are not welcome in this community.
We take violations very seriously. Violations may result in being removed from the conference and the ng-conf community. So please be considerate of others’ feelings, let’s respect each other, and let’s have a great conference!
How We Handle Conduct Violations
Who Gets Involved:
Our Code of Conduct Committee includes organizers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees. This committee will be called upon to consider each reported violation. Each committee member is required to attend a mandatory Code of Conduct training and agree to adhere to its policies.
Our Code Of Conduct Core Members Are:
- Sunny Leggett (sunny@ZeroSlopeEvents.com)
- Joe Eames
- Owen Mecham
Core Members are included on the info@ng-conf.org email list. In case of a conflict of interest, please contact CoC lead member Sunny, direct email above.
Initial Actions:
The following is what you can expect from the committee when a violation is reported:
- We will ensure that any safety issues are handled first and foremost. Critical safety issues may involve calling security or local law enforcement.
- We will set up a private meeting to talk.
- We will ask who the offending party was, what was said or done, who else was involved (if any), and the name of any witnesses (if any), as well as when and where the incident took place. We may have additional follow up questions, depending on the situation.
Follow Up:
Once we have the initial report, the committee will talk about the next steps. Depending on the severity of the violation, the committee may report the incident directly to the police. If the committee is reasonably certain that the police are not required, the following will happen.
- We will find the offender(s), let them know that we have received a complaint, and hear their side of the story.
- We will then immediately meet as a committee to decide whether additional follow up is needed, and then decide the response. Carry out our response. We may then address the community, letting them know that something happened, it violated our code of conduct, and that the incident was handled.
Confidentiality:
Code of Conduct Committee members must agree to respect the confidential nature of Code of Conduct reports. When required to notify the community, details about specific situations will be kept anonymous as much as possible.