Community Guidelines

The ELTNA forum is designed to be a safe space that facilitates open discussion. All members agree to the following guidelines when posting or commenting:

  • Confidentiality: We follow the Chatham House Rule, which states that “participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.” What you learn may leave this forum, but you should not share specifics of who said what.
  • Respect: We respect and treat our colleagues as our equals. We agree to be mindful and notice when we’re making assumptions or judgments based on race, age, gender presentation, ability, level of experience, language, or anything else.
  • Assume Positive Intent: Not everyone has the same set of experiences and knowledge, so we assume that people have positive intent. We have positive intent ourselves, and we are also accountable for the impact of our words.
  • Discussion and Impact: We are here to have discussions with and learn from our peers, rather than debate theoreticals or rant on sensitive topics. We also acknowledge that everything is a personal, lived experience for another one of our members.
  • Calling In and Moderators: If someone says something that we find offensive or harmful, we may gently call them in. We can ask for clarity or share how their words made us feel. (E.g. “When you said ___, I felt ___, because ___.”) However, we also acknowledge that it is not any member’s duty to defend themselves if they feel hurt or unsafe–in this case, please contact a moderator to intervene: eltna.contact@gmail.com.

Labels: To improve the experience of all members when using the forums, we suggest using labels when you post. If you post directly on the Google Group, you may choose a label when you create the post. If you email the group to post, please include one of the following labels in your subject line:

  • Introduction
  • Question
  • Discussion
  • Opportunity
  • Resource
  • Event
  • Publication
  • Housekeeping

If you’d like to learn more about inclusive and respectful language on a variety of topics, feel free to explore these resources:

Guidelines adapted from the following sources: UCAR, Resource Media, and The Anti-Oppression Network
Version 1.0, published March 2021

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