To help us create a safe and positive community experience for all, we require all those who participate to agree and adhere to these Participation Guidelines.
> Respect and Kindness
These guidelines cover our behaviour as participants, organisers, volunteers, partners, and anyone else involved in making MAB20 possible.
> How to treat each other
- Be respectful and value each other’s ideas, styles and viewpoints.
- Be kind
- Be direct but professional; Critique ideas rather than individuals.
- Be inclusive and help new perspectives be heard.
- Appreciate and accommodate our many cultural practices, attitudes and beliefs.
- Be open to learning from others.
- Lead by example and match your actions with your words.
The following will not be tolerated at MAB20: violence and threats of violence; personal attacks; derogatory language; unwelcome sexual attention or physical contact; disruptive behaviour; influencing unacceptable behaviour.
> Inclusion and Diversity
MAB20 welcomes and encourages participation by everyone. It doesn‘t matter how you identify yourself or how others perceive you: we welcome you.
We welcome contributions from everyone as long as they interact constructively with our community, including, but not limited to: Background, Family status, Gender, Gender identity or expression, Marital status, Sex, Sexual orientation, Native language, Age, Ability, Race and/or ethnicity, Caste, National origin, Socioeconomic status, Religion, Geographic location, Any other dimension of diversity
> Expected Behaviour
The following behaviours are expected of all participants at MAB20:
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 to being wrong. Be respectful 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 behavior 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 for inclusive thinking. “Winning” is when different perspectives make our work richer and stronger.
Appreciate and Accommodate Our Similarities and Differences
We recognise that we 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 everyone to know the cultural practices of every ethnic and cultural group, but everyone needs to recognise 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 organisational outcomes. Design your community and your work for inclusion. Hold yourself and others accountable for inclusive behaviours.
> Behaviour 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 (“doxxing”) 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.
Unwelcome Sexual Attention or Physical Contact
Unwelcome sexual attention or unwelcome physical contact is not acceptable. This includes sexualised comments, jokes or imagery in interactions, communications or presentation materials, as well as inappropriate touching, groping, or sexual advances. Additionally, touching a person without permission, including sensitive areas such as their hair, pregnant stomach, mobility device (wheelchair, scooter, etc) or tattoos is unacceptable. This includes physically blocking or intimidating another person. Physical contact or simulated physical contact (such as emojis like “kiss”) without affirmative consent is not acceptable. The sharing or distribution of sexualized images or text is unacceptable.
Disruptive Behaviour
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 Behaviour
We will treat influencing or leading such activities the same way we treat the activities themselves, and thus the same consequences apply.
> Raising Issues at MAB20
If you experience practices or behaviours at MAB20 which don‘t meet the policies above, or if you feel you are being harassed in any way, please contact safety@mab20.org immediately. All issues raised are treated as confidential and shared only with our Safety Team.
The MAB20 community aims to be a respectful and diverse environment. However, should there be an incident at MAB20 where someone breaks our Community Participation Guidelines, we want you to know how to respond and to feel confident we – the organisers of the conference and its safety team – are there to support you.
Thank you for being a part of MAB20 and a part of our community.
> License and Attribution
This set of guidelines is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.
These guidelines have been adapted with minor modifications from Mozfest Community Participation Guidelines. We thank Mozfest for the work in drawing up these guidelines and making them available under CC.
The Media Architecture Biennale 20 is organised by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with Utrecht University.
Executive Committee & General Chairs: Martijn de Waal, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences; Frank Suurenbroek, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences; Nanna Verhoeff, Utrecht University; and Michiel de Lange, Utrecht University. Program Chairs: Dave Colangelo, George Brown College Toronto; and Ava Fatah, Bartlett, University College London.