Code of Conduct

WordCamp Whitley Bay

September 18th 2023

1. Purpose

WordCamp Whitley Bay believes our community should be truly open for everyone. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, religion, age, caste, social class, preferred operating system, programming language, or text editor, among other identifying characteristics.

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for participant behaviour as well as the consequences for unacceptable behaviour.

We invite all sponsors, volunteers, speakers, attendees, and other participants to help us realise a safe and positive conference experience for everyone.

2. Expected Behaviour

  • Be considerate, respectful, and collaborative.
  • Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behaviour and speech.
  • Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert conference organisers if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.
  • Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you help to create WordCamp Whitley Bay and make it your own.

3. Unacceptable Behaviour

Unacceptable behaviours include: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning conduct by any attendees of WordCamp Whitley Bay and related events. All WordCamp Whitley Bay venues may be shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.

Harassment includes: offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability; inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides); deliberate intimidation, stalking or following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

4. Consequences Of Unacceptable Behaviour

Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated whether by other attendees, organisers, venue staff, sponsors, or other patrons of WordCamp Whitley Bay venues.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in unacceptable behaviour, the conference organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from the conference without warning or refund.

5. What To Do If You Witness Or Are Subject To Unacceptable Behaviour

If you are subject to unacceptable behaviour, notice that someone else is being subject to unacceptable behaviour, or have any other concerns, please notify a conference organiser as soon as possible.

The WordCamp Whitley Bay team will be available to help participants contact venue security or local law enforcement, to provide escorts, or to otherwise assist those experiencing unacceptable behaviour to feel safe for the duration of the conference. Any volunteer can connect you with a conference organizer. You can also come to the special registration desk in the lobby and ask for the organizers.

6. Scope

We expect all conference participants (sponsors, volunteers, speakers, attendees, and other guests) to abide by this code of conduct at all conference venues and conference-related social events.

7. Contact Information

You can contact the organisers at:

whitleybay@wordcamp.org

8. License And Attribution

This Code of Conduct is a direct swipe from the awesome work of Open Source Bridge, but with our event information substituted. The original is available at Open Source Bridge 2018 [archived] and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

Statement about Socials or Supplemental Events (where applicable)

Social and supplemental events are intended to provide networking and additional educational opportunities, as well as an opportunity to unwind after a full WordCamp. They should also be places where attendees can feel safe and secure.

We want you to enjoy yourself at these events, and we want you to do so safely. If you experience a Code of Conduct violation, see a violation, are concerned about the well-being, safety or behaviour of another attendee, or have a general question (we understand that violations are not always obvious!) contact us immediately by notifying a WordCamp organizer or emailing report@wordcamp.org. For in-person events, if you need help or are unable to comfortably or safely remove yourself from a situation you do not want to be in, organisers will prioritise assisting you immediately and discretely. Some examples are: not feeling well; your transportation arrangements fall through; you are intoxicated, you are alone or with someone you do not trust, you are overwhelmed, you have experienced or witnessed a Code of Conduct violation. Please ask any nearby event volunteer or organiser to help you.

WordCamp Whitley Bay is over. Check out the next edition!