OSACC

Conference Prep & CoC

What to Pack

Denver is high and dry. At an elevation of one mile above sea level, you will feel the effects of the thinner air. You will likely find yourself out of breath with just one flight of stairs so take your time and be careful. To keep altitude sickness at bay STAY HYDRATED! To that end, we encourage you to bring a water bottle. Everyone in Denver takes one almost everywhere. We will have some on hand if you need to borrow one, but if you have a favorite, bring it. The dryness can also cause nose bleeds, dry skin, and chapped lips, so plan accordingly. Because of the elevation, the sun is more intense and it is advised that you wear sunscreen if you will be outside for more than 20-30 minutes, or less if you are sensitive. Also bring sunglasses, transition lenses, or perhaps a hat, again, because the sun is quite bright here. We are considered a high desert plains, so it is normal for the temperature to be 40F/18C degrees different from day to night. Layering your clothes is key. Snow in mid April is unlikely, but possible, so check the weather a few days before you come. Rain is also unlikely, but a light coat that is also rainproof could be a key item to bring. We will send out a notice if we see bad weather on the horizon. But note that Denver is one of the sunniest places in the USA with more than 300 days a year of sunshine.

What you need for the Conference

The conference will combine working alone and in groups, as well as large and small group discussions. We will have computers on site, but bringing a laptop is advised if you have one. You will also need power for the laptop and we will have ample plugs/power strips around the spaces as well as good wifi. Please bring any ergonomic aids like mice, laptop stands, and other devices you might normally use for working in a healthy way with a laptop. We will have a variety of chairs and tables with different heights for different working styles and types of access. You might also want headphones for focused periods, but there will be some spaces where you can get away from others as needed, including a room or two where you can take a phone call or meeting. We will have snacks, drinks, and food that should meet your dietary needs, including vegan, gluten free, non-dairy, and more.

Code of Conduct

Why do we have a Code of Conduct?

The Code of Conduct makes space for us to deeply consider and share our goals and be open and clear about how we want to behave, as a community, so it’s not hidden or secret. Our goal is to make the conference a space where many different people can come together to share and learn from each other.

We want people to come to OSACC and participate and thrive no matter their experience, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, personal appearance, race, ethnicity, body size, age, nationality, or religion.

When different people come together in a space there is huge potential for learning, collaboration, and real change. Unfortunately, there is also friction and conflict. This conflict emerges for many reasons including: historical and current racism, colonialism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, wealth inequality, and unhealed community and individual trauma.

Conflict is unavoidable. Our goal with the CoC isn’t to avoid conflict, it’s to have clearly communicated principles around how we deal with it. We wrote this CoC with the knowledge that the CoC will and should change, as we learn more and grow as a community.

Who is this Code of Conduct for?

This CoC is for everyone, including OSACC organizers, speakers, invited guests, and attendees.

What does this actually look like in action?

When attending OSACC, we expect people to treat others with respect, to listen generously, and to work towards a thriving and equitable environment for all. The CoC is not about being “nice,” it’s about working towards an equitable environment where people from different backgrounds can come together to share and learn from each other.

The CoC applies to everyone equitably. Differences in power, histories, and current realities mean that in order to be equitable, we need to always consider specific relationships and environments when contextualizing words and actions.

Specific Examples

Below are some examples that commonly come up. It would be impossible to write a full list here, but we hope these will help you get a feeling for what we expect.

Please do:

  • Make space for newcomers and outsiders, and help them feel welcome even if you are a newcomer yourself!
  • Speak about your lived experience and knowledge.
  • Participate in a way that makes you feel good and invested.
  • Honor your accessibility needs and let people know if they can help make the space better for you.
  • Be aware of your own privilege and the ways you do or don’t take up space.
  • Make delightful spaces for others to contribute, help other people to shine.
  • Always listen generously, especially when listening to people speak in their second or third language.
  • Always be learning.
  • Use people’s pronouns (for example: she/her) correctly. If you don’t know, use their name or ask. If you make a mistake, apologize, correct yourself, and move on.
  • Ask questions rather than make assumptions.
  • When interrupting racism, sexism, ableism, or transphobia, try to explicitly address the behavior or phrase and educate (rather than name-calling).
  • If you have the capacity and are coming from a place of privilege, practice correcting people and being corrected yourself. Ideally, we take feedback as a gift. In practice, it can feel like an attack. Practice helps with this.
  • Apologize quickly and concisely when you realize you’ve done something wrong. Make a sincere effort to do better quietly.
  • Escalate any issues to one or all of the OSACC organizers, even if the issues are with our friends or one of us. We want to make this space suitable for you!

Please don’t:

  • Talk over people.
  • Make assumptions about people (of course, this is unavoidable, but try to minimize your assumptions).
  • Romantically or sexually pursue people at OSACC or in the context of OSACC.
  • Comment on people’s appearance if you aren’t sure how it will be received.
  • Harass people. If someone doesn’t want to talk to you, let it go.
  • Make dismissive, patronizing, violent, or passive-aggressive jokes or comments.
  • Make jokes about pronouncing people’s names, especially if that person is already trying to speak your language.
  • Diminish or underestimate structural inequities.
  • Use ableist or racist language. Of course, language changes over time are cultural and complicated, but avoid words that “punch down” at people. If you are curious about “ableist words” or “racist words” a quick search will help!
  • Assume that if a person makes a small mistake with their words, they are a “bad person.”
  • Assume another person is more important or valuable because they are more “famous,” well-connected, or professionally accomplished.
  • Assume that everyone else knows each other or that you are the outsider. None of us know everyone, and almost everyone has feelings of insecurity.
  • Excuse or justify the bad behavior of others. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in moments of conflict and say things that make things worse, like “I’m sure they didn’t mean that” and “maybe you’re taking this the wrong way.”
  • Assume that “you are wrong” and “no one will help you” with an issue. We want to help!
What to do when things go wrong

If you are able and feel safe to do so, speak up in the moment:

  • clearly name the behavior and ask the person to stop.
  • You can also reach out to the event organizers and we will help you.
  • You can reach us at opensourceartcc@gmail.com

You can also reach us individually:

Tsige (she/they): tsige@processingfoundation.org

Raphaël (he/him/they): raphael@processingfoundation.org

What to do when things go wrong (because of you)

If you are able, apologize immediately and clearly. Avoid phrases like “I’m sorry you felt X” and instead use phrases like “I’m sorry I said that.” It can be hard to apologize in the moment of confrontation, but it’s much easier than doing it later.

It can be tempting to talk about your intentions, but intentions aren’t important here. Of course, intentions do matter, but when you’ve hurt someone, the important thing isn’t what you meant to do, the important thing is what has happened.

Take a break. Emotions are powerful and can lead us to say things we later regret. This can be an excellent moment for learning! Please don’t ask the person you just hurt! It’s an excellent opportunity to self-educate with books or with Google.

What happens when an incident is reported:

When an incident is reported, the person reporting the incident is to be treated with kindness, respect, and care. Safety and consent should be the priority. When you are reporting something to us, we will not ask you to confront anyone and we will not tell anyone who you are. We also strongly encourage you to reach out to your support network to discuss and decompress.

The steps after an incident report will be as follows:

  • Report received
  • If immediate action is required, a team member (Raphaël or Tsige) will take action. This might involve a correction, a discussion, or ejection from the group. In a busy, active, group sometimes things are missed. We will do our best to stay aware of what is happening. Please help us.
  • After the group session, Tsige and Raphaël will discuss the incident. If the report involves one of us, that person will be excluded from the discussion.
  • First violations will result in a warning, severe or repeat incidents will result in expulsion from OSACC.
  • After the conference we will set aside a specific time to discuss the CoC and the ways we can do better.

People make mistakes, and we want to foster a culture where small mistakes can be corrected. We believe in restorative justice, and we are interested in building systems that help everyone to thrive.

Email questions to opensourceartcc@gmail.com

Sourced from CCFest: https://ccfest.rocks/code-of-conduct