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Fwd: Diversity Deep Dive: Why train multiple Code of Conduct enforcers?
by Vesna Manojlovic 23 May '19

23 May '19

Hi, this comes in at the convenient time, when we are discussing exactly that topic! It's a bit different from the RIPE community.. because it speaks more about _smaller_ communities & _smaller_ events, but some of the principles are still applicable... I hope this helps! Regards, Vesna https://otter.technology/blog/2019/05/23/why-train-multiple-code-of-conduct… -------- Forwarded Message -------- Reply-To: Otter Tech <sharp(a)otter.technology> Diversity Deep Dive: Why train multiple Code of Conduct enforcers? Why train multiple Code of Conduct enforcers? When an community decides to adopt a Code of Conduct, one of the first things they should ask is “Who will enforce this Code of Conduct?” For most events and online communities, enforcement falls to one person. Typically the person is an event organizer, or a leader in the online community. It’s someone who cares deeply about making the event or community a welcoming place. They want to do things “right” but aren’t sure whether they need to have more people involved. It’s important that every event or online community, no matter how small, has at least two people who enforce a Code of Conduct. Here’s why. Conflicting Roles When you’re an event organizer, you rarely get to enjoy your own event. Most of your time is spent helping others, ensuring the event stays on track, and dealing with last minute fires. It can be hard if you’re an event organizer and you’re the only point of contact for people to make a Code of Conduct report. You’re running from place to place, talking quickly to other people, and you look… busy. Someone who wants to make a Code of Conduct report may decide that they don’t want to bother you. It can be helpful to have two event volunteers whose only job is to take Code of Conduct reports. You can have one incident responder available in a fixed location, while the second incident responder walks around event space, ready to take a report on the spot. Conflicts of interest If you’re involved in Code of Conduct enforcement in an online community, it’s typically because you care deeply about the community. You want to make the community a welcoming place. You probably know a lot of the community members. Unfortunately, it can cause problems if you’re a leader of an online community and you’re the only person enforcing the community Code of Conduct. If one of your long-time friends in the community were reported, you would be biased towards them when you evaluate the report. If your online community includes your clients or co-workers, you also have a bias towards them. Having two to three people involved in online community Code of Conduct enforcement allows the committee to address conflicts of interest. If one committee member has a platonic, romantic, or employment relationship with a reported person, there are two other people who can evaluate and follow up on the report. Bias Whether you run an event or an online community, you shouldn’t have only one person who evaluates Code of Conduct reports. Why? Because that one person has a specific life experience. The one person in charge of the Code of Conduct may not have experienced discrimination based on race, gender identity, or disability. They may face marginalization because of one part of their identity, but have privilege in other parts of their life. It can be hard for them to understand the impact of harassment or microaggressions if they’ve never experienced that type of discrimination before. Having multiple committee members evaluate a Code of Conduct report means everyone can contribute their lived experience. Having a diverse set of people enforcing a Code of Conduct is key to making a welcoming community for all people. Train Enforcers Whether you have one, two, or ten people taking Code of Conduct reports, it’s important to train them! Otter Tech provides online training for Code of Conduct enforcement. Our Incident Response workshop teaches people how to take a Code of Conduct report, how to evaluate a report, and how to follow up with a reported person. If you’re adding a new Code of Conduct committee member, now is the time to get them trained. *Attend our next online Code of Conduct Incident Response workshop on either **June 19* or **July 17* /Copyright © 2017 Otter Tech LLC, All rights reserved./

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Slides For LT Today, Tuesday 21st
by Brian Nisbet 21 May '19

21 May '19

Folks, I've attached the slides for the LT this afternoon (almost the last thing today in the plenary, it's the 3rd LT in the 16:00 GMT Plenary session, so likely on around 17:20 plus or minus). Please let me and Amanda know if you have any comments, warnings, inclusions or exclusions. Thanks, Brian Brian Nisbet Service Operations Manager HEAnet CLG, Ireland's National Education and Research Network 1st Floor, 5 George's Dock, IFSC, Dublin D01 X8N7, Ireland +35316609040 brian.nisbet(a)heanet.ie www.heanet.ie Registered in Ireland, No. 275301. CRA No. 20036270

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LT @ RIPE78
by Brian Nisbet 20 May '19

20 May '19

Folks, So, assuming HPH comes back with useful wisdom, do we want to announce the draft to the community next week? If so, we can do this either as an LT or by asking for some time in the final session, both are possibilities right now. Sadly I don't think the Friday session will be as well populated as we'd like, given the flights home from Iceland (a lot of people have already told the PC they won't be there), but the alternative is Tuesday, when we may not be ready. I'm happy to work on this with people, of course. I continue to maintain that a cis white man is not the right person to stand solo on a stage to present these things. 😊 What do we all think? We don't *have* to do this, of course, if we don't feel we're ready Brian Brian Nisbet Service Operations Manager HEAnet CLG, Ireland's National Education and Research Network 1st Floor, 5 George's Dock, IFSC, Dublin D01 X8N7, Ireland +35316609040 brian.nisbet(a)heanet.ie www.heanet.ie Registered in Ireland, No. 275301. CRA No. 20036270

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CoC Draft & Action Items
by Brian Nisbet 16 May '19

16 May '19

Folks, I'm just wondering, where do we, collectively, believe the action item (or similar) lies at present with the draft for the new CoC. >From my reading there was an amount of feedback provided, but is the draft at a point where it can be officially shared with HPH, other stakeholders and the community, or is there more work to do? We have under two weeks before RIPE78 begins and I worry that we aren't in a good place to share our work (while absolutely noting that people might be waiting for me to do something?). Thanks, Brian Brian Nisbet Service Operations Manager HEAnet CLG, Ireland's National Education and Research Network 1st Floor, 5 George's Dock, IFSC, Dublin D01 X8N7, Ireland +35316609040 brian.nisbet(a)heanet.ie www.heanet.ie Registered in Ireland, No. 275301. CRA No. 20036270

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Draft CoC and response guide
by Sasha Romijn 10 May '19

10 May '19

Hello all, Closely based on the work I did for Write the Docs, with some adjustments to fit the RIPE community, I put together a draft for a CoC and for a response guide. CoC: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IAJj9UjW2zroz5v6XQYgYEYotfZlV4Trk2vRdao… Response guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gaLo4axYDRTpQnhUJyG92EHBmEIkxSDN8Urmy-z… I went with Google docs for now, as it’s quite accessible. You can leave comments and suggest changes, and we can discuss broader topics on the mailing list. There are a few parts about structure still to be filled in, but let’s start here. We haven’t really spoken about any of the details, other than a general “this can be a starting point”, so I don’t know what kind of discussions other people would like to bring up. Sasha

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NVC online course : Social Change: Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
by Vesna Manojlovic 08 May '19

08 May '19

Hi all, I am following a "mediator" course in Non-Violent Communication, and this "advertisement" caught my attention: if you know someone who would benefit from such an education, please suggest it to them: http://nvctraining.com/media/_2019/ML-RM/social-change/index.html "Avoiding conversations about domination, power, race, gender, or sexual orientation is no longer an option. Why? Because the pain engendered by avoiding difficult conversations shows up in your classes, your meetings, your workplaces, and your relationships. But HOW do you hold such a conversation? How do you address power differences, unearned advantages, or racial oppression? How do you open a conversation about race, gender, or sexual orientation? And how do you embrace people from all walks of life and facilitate groups so everyone feels fully heard, valued for their contribution, and acknowledged for their unique experiences?" Thanks, Vesna -------- Forwarded Message -------- From: NVC Academy <training(a)nvctraining.com> Responding to the Call of Our Times: A Leadership Coaching Program *Join us if you're weary of walking on eggshells and are ready for change!* If you're weary of walking on eggshells... tired of feeling afraid you might say the wrong thing... and you're ready for CHANGE... you're invited to join Roxy Manning and Martha Lasley for *Social Change: Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion* http://nvctraining.com/media/_2019/ML-RM/social-change/index.html Mondays, July 8th - September 2nd 12:00-2:00pm Pacific (California) Time The consciousness of Nonviolent Communication can give us the courage we need to address some of the most challenging issues of our time. During this series we'll explore highly effective ways of responding to bias, slights, stereotypes, domination, and oppression – an intense and deeply rewarding experience. *Join us. It's time to ask – and answer – difficult questions.*

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Great read on sexual harassment in the workplace on HBR
by Amanda Gowland 24 Apr '19

24 Apr '19

https://hbr.org/2019/04/ending-harassment-at-work-requires-an-intersectiona… This was an interesting read on sexual harassment in the workplace, breaking down the assumption that perpetrator is often a senior male and victims often a junior woman.

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RIPE Diversity TF Meeting - 5 March 2019 - draft minutes
by Amanda Gowland 05 Apr '19

05 Apr '19

Hi all, Please find below the draft minutes from our last meeting. Shane, you were cutting out a bit when you were updating on the gender metrics...so I have a feeling you'll need to maybe have a look at that part. If there's anything I didn't capture correctly, please let me know. Warm regards, Amanda --- RIPE Diversity Task Force - Meeting Minutes, 5 March 2019 Participants: Amanda Gowland, Mirjam Kühne, Brian Nisbet, J, Sasha Romijn, Vesna Manojlovic, Bijal Sanghani, Shane Kerr, Malcolm Hutty Agenda - Code of Conduct - Updates for RIPE 78 The main discussion for the day's meeting focused on the need to improve the RIPE Meeting Code of Conduct, specifically: - The text itself - The lack of processes around violations, reporting - The role that WG Chairs play in upholding the CoC - The timing and practical aspects of moving forward Amanda asked Sasha if she could brief the TF on what she shared on the mailing list given her experience working on Django's CoC and Write the Docs (WtD). Sasha said that the RIPE Meeting's CoC essentially says "don't be an asshole", but there's no documented mechanism for reporting violations or a team of people equipped to enforce it. She said that dealing with CoC violations/reporting requires resources and expressed doubt that the RIPE Chair had the time/resources for this. She said that for Write the Docs, they have a CoC Response Guide, which is a structured plan that stipulates who you involve when, how you deal with conflicts of interest and more specific information on what kinds of things are and are not acceptable. Amanda asked if the TF should propose a Code of Conduct Team, since the scope of the RIPE Meeting Trusted Contacts was not meant to tackle reporting and enforcing consequences of CoC violations. She asked Sasha if she'd be willing to help with this since she's the most experienced. Sasha said she would be happy to draw on the text from WtD. Amanda asked the TF what they thought about getting this in place for RIPE 78? Brian said he'd be weary of having something for the next meeting, only because registration is already open and people have to agree to the CoC during the registration process. It was too short to have a new proposal to the community. J asked if there was anything that could be done to improve the CoC for RIPE 78 without touching upon the text, like improving the process or the implementation. Code of Conduct Team? Sasha said that the current text is weak, so changes will need to happen there but in the meantime other things can be improved to help things progress. Brian agreed that the TF could look at the process and how that works. Amanda asked how the CoC Team should be selected - are people asked, is there a nomination process, etc? Sasha said it depends, in her experience it's a team of volunteers that ideally have experience and who meet some specific criteria (like having no record of CoC violations). Amanda mentioned that the RIPE NCC was in discussion with Hans Petter Holen (HPH) about having training for the WG Chairs so they are able to better uphold the CoC. Mirjam updated the TF that this is something that HPH is really supportive of and has given the go-ahead for us to organise this in Reykjavik for RIPE 78. He would like to do it at the WG Chair Lunch to ensure full participation. As an aside, Mir informed the group that she submitted a BoF for HPH about "RIPE and the Bigger Picture" - looking at the societal obligations of the RIPE community. Axel has also expressed a desired to have a bigger focus on this. Amanda asked what the next steps should be for drafting a new CoC and its related processes. Malcolm said that he would like to contribute. Sasha said she would also like to work on this. J asked what the process was for a new document, what process does it need to follow to be approved? Malcome said that for the Accountability TF, they just submitted their report. The process they were instructed to follow was that they share their report with the community for comment, there's a consultation period, the TF worked on the contributions and made amendments where applicable. A revised draft is then reported back to the community and it is up to HPH to declare consensus. Brian added that if they can get text together in the next 4-6 weeks, a draft could be ideally shared or presented at RIPE 78. He felt there would likely be pushback on any sort of stronger document. He said there was a difference with this and what the Accountability TF is doing - the issue with the CoC is that we don't want to have to go through 18 iterations. Malcolm replied that he hoped there wouldn't be multiple rounds of iterations and pointed out that this is a TF and not a WG. Although consultation is expected, it is up to the TF to decide what to do with the contributions from the community to the draft. But it is not for the TF to go from draft to execution, it is HPH to declare consensus and move forward. RIPE 78 Updates Amanda gave an update on the WiT session for RIPE 78 - we were moving it into the Side Room, taking place from 13:00-14:00. She has been working with the Icelandic WiT group and they were enthusiastic on helping build the programme. She said that she was disappointed with how few registered attendees have volunteered to be a mentor for RIPE 78, but that maybe it was a case of it just building up slowly. She also said that there were no organisations signing up as Diversity Ticket sponsors, so they will monitor this for a couple meetings and have to consider whether they still facilitate it going forward. Shane said he didn't really have much of an update for the gender metric gathering. He was playing around with a way to create visualisations. He updates the graphs for every meeting but they didn't look great in terms of % of women. He will work on an update before RIPE 78. Bijal added that it was the first time she has taken part in the TF, she missed the discussion about the CoC but will catch up on it. She said she was surprised there weren't more people signing up to be mentors and she will put her name forward. J asked about the mechanism to draft the CoC to ensure version control, bug trackers, etc., and if we were using something already for this? Amanda said that Google Docs seemed to be the easiest way to work on it to ensure changes are tracked, etc. J suggested GitHub. There were no further comments. Amanda thanked everyone for their feedback and closed the meeting.

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WebEx details for today's Diversity Task Force Meeting - 15:00 CET/14:00 GMT
by Amanda Gowland 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

Hi all, Please find below the WebEx details for our meeting today at 15:00. The main agenda is the RIPE Meeting Code of Conduct. Warm regards, Amanda -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Webex meeting invitation: Diversity TF Meeting Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2019 09:51:26 +0000 (GMT) From: Daniella Coutinho <messenger(a)webex.com> Reply-To: dcoutinh(a)ripe.net To: agowland(a)ripe.net Hi, AmandaGowland, Daniella Coutinho invites you to join this Webex meeting. *Diversity TF Meeting* Tuesday, March 5, 2019 3:00 pm | Europe Time (Amsterdam, GMT+01:00) | 1 hr Meeting number (access code): 700 432 508 Meeting password: hMtuPSED Add to Calendar <https://ripencc.webex.com/ripencc/j.php?MTID=m0810bc8a2ce9a095b6a6c40d3db53…> When it's time, join the meeting <https://ripencc.webex.com/ripencc/j.php?MTID=mbb87ab95c245c6da499852cf7bdb1…>. *Join by phone* *0800-051-3810 <tel:0800-051-3810,,*01*700432508%23%23*01*>* United Kingdom toll-free *+44-203-478-5289 <tel:%2B44-203-478-5289,,*01*700432508%23%23*01*>* United Kingdom toll Global call-in numbers <https://ripencc.webex.com/ripencc/globalcallin.php?serviceType=MC&ED=768011…> | Toll-free calling restrictions <https://www.webex.com/pdf/tollfree_restrictions.pdf> Can't join the meeting? <https://collaborationhelp.cisco.com/article/WBX000029055> IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that this Webex service allows audio and other information sent during the session to be recorded, which may be discoverable in a legal matter. By joining this session, you automatically consent to such recordings. If you do not consent to being recorded, discuss your concerns with the host or do not join the session.

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On the RIPE community CoC
by Sasha Romijn 19 Feb '19

19 Feb '19

Hello all, At the last RIPE meeting, we talked about our Code of Conduct. I offered to send a good example. I’ve since also actually reported a CoC incident in the RIPE community, and want to share some thoughts on that experience. Sending a CoC example took some time, as I’ve been refactoring and improving the CoC for the Write the Docs community. Our new CoC is: http://www.writethedocs.org/code-of-conduct/ http://www.writethedocs.org/code-of-conduct-response/ And these are the most significant changes: http://www.writethedocs.org/blog/new-community-coc-2019/ I’m happy to further explain the decisions behind it, if you have any questions. I will not share the full details of the incident I reported in the RIPE community, because I prefer not to be identified as the reporter. About four months have passed since my report, and I have not received any reply from the wg chairs or the RIPE chair, who are the designated contacts, other than two notes that it was being worked on. I initially reported to the relevant working group chairs, and then escalated to the RIPE chair, as documented in the RIPE community CoC. To my knowledge, no action has been taken. My general impression is that none of the people listed as CoC contacts in any part of the RIPE community are able to effectively take action on a CoC incident. Either because this is explicitly not part of their task (trusted contacts) or, I suspect, they lack any kind of resources or possibly time to handle an incident. That is *not* a failure on the part of any of these people individually, but rather caused by a flawed and mostly absent process and mandate to act. In addition, confidentiality of CoC reports is violated in every single report. Both wg chair mailing lists and the trusted contacts address are moderated by NCC staff, which means an unknown person(s) can also see the report, and reporters are not made aware of this in advance. This can have severe consequences, and makes reporting unsafe. The RIPE chair doesn’t seem to have any publicly listed contact address at all. Personally I feel that the ability of the RIPE community to handle a CoC incident is so abysmal, that we would be better off not publishing one at all, as we are now creating a false sense of security. I should also note that this was a fairly minor incident, pretty much the most trivial kind of incident a CoC contact has to deal with. The consequences of the lack of ability to respond properly could be very severe in case of a more serious incident - which have taken place in the RIPE community as well. The updated Code of Conduct for Write the Docs, along with our response guide, handles many of these concerns specifically, so I suggest you have a look at it, and see how it can be adopted for the RIPE community. However, in order to have an effective CoC process, it will also require setting up one or more response teams, which can be contacted privately, with publicly listed membership, and most importantly, a mandate to act. Including, if needed, immediate removal of a community member, including those in a position of power. From my personal experience, this is a quite rare measure, but it needs to be on the table for the CoC to be effective. I’m not sure what the process would be to continue with this, or how others feel - I’m curious to hear your ideas. But the apparent fact that the RIPE community is currently unable to handle even the most trivial CoC reports, makes it inherently unsafe. Sasha

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