GATHERING SUMMIT
CODE OF CONDUCT

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Gathering Summit was borne of a desire to reduce isolation by encouraging and inspiring a greater sense of togetherness.

For that reason especially and, simply, because it is right, we are committed to facilitating a space that is safe and free of harassment for all who participate.

By participating in Gathering Summit, you are committing to reinforcing a culture of inclusiveness and respect for all.

While we expect our conversations to remain in the realm of wonder and positivity, the discussions that arise will touch on all sorts of topics. Some topics could be sensitive or controversial.

From time to time, strong feelings may arise. This can be a good thing, if we all stay committed to maintaining a safe environment for each other.

If you find yourself feeling angry, we want you to know that your feelings are okay—but hurtful language and behavior are not.

Anger is a part of life. We all feel it from time to time. Noticing it, acknowledging it, and communicating it are all critical skills we all must practice. We have much to learn about ourselves from our anger and what causes it to arise.

Permitting that anger to manifest in aggression—by using intolerant language, or trying to bully or otherwise cause harm to another person in any way—hurts everyone involved. It hurts the aggressor, it hurts their target, and it hurts the people around them both.

We will be vigilant in ensuring no such behavior is tolerated in any of the discussion spaces around this event.

If you feel strong feelings arising as you participate and you’re not sure what to do, reach out to us.

We’d very much rather work with you to figure out how to deal with a given situation than see aggression seep into the discussions happening with other participants.

Once our lizard brains get engaged, things get nasty and everyone gets hurt.

Practice noticing when that might be happening in yourself and disengaging—we’re here to work with you on this!

We will deal swiftly with anyone who brings aggression and intolerance into this space.

This includes attendees, speakers, sponsors, and our own team. If we have to rescind a person’s access to a discussion space or remove content that we determine could be harmful, we will.

If you feel that someone is behaving in a way that is out of alignment with these terms, please let us know immediately.

If you’re not sure, please talk to us anyway—we want to know what’s going on.

If you’ve got questions, we want to hear them.

We’re humans like you. We are always working to learn and get better. Let us know what comes up for you and we’ll welcome it.

Conference contacts

Tony Bacigalupo — tony [at] gatheringlab.com

Casey Rosengren — casey [at] gatheringlab.com