YAYA COmmunity guidelines
At our events, we want to create spaces that are as safe and as free of discrimination as possible.
This means that each individual in these spaces is responsible for being mindful and avoiding discrimination. To achieve this, we have established some basic rules that we want to follow together. These rules are a basis for participating in our events.
Be kind to each other, but also to yourself!
Treating ourselves in a loving and friendly way can be a good foundation for how we interact with the people around us, respond to them and empathize with them. Let each other finish speaking and listen actively. Be open to other opinions and try to give friendly and constructive feedback.
Sharing responsibility
We want to explicitly make it clear that it is our overarching goal to fight for justice, reparations, respect, and against discrimination and oppression. For us, this means actively implementing this in our spaces by taking responsibility for ourselves and our communities.
Discrimination is a part of our society, and we all have many things to unlearn that have been taught to us throughout our lives. Becoming aware of discrimination is a process, and making mistakes in this process is normal.
However, it is important to us that everyone actively participates in the learning process and acknowledges their mistakes. Even if something was not intended that way, it can still have a certain, unintended impact. It is important to first listen to those affected. This is because discriminatory mechanisms are often invisible to those who are not affected by them. Not admitting mistakes and not potentially also apologizing will not be tolerated.
Taking up space
Be mindful of who is in the room with you and who speaks more, and who speaks less. If you notice that you speak often and a lot, try to take a step back, and vice versa.
Reflect on whether you are privileged in any way regarding certain topics. If so, be aware of your own privilege(s) and try to use them to give space to people who should be in the spotlight instead.
You will notice how this awareness helps you better understand and see other views and perspectives of the POC/BIPOC/FLINTA/LGTBQ+ community.
Be mindful of how you speak
Try to speak in a way that can be understood by everyone. Avoid academic words or try to explain or paraphrase them on the side.
Remember that language can be violent, and make sure your choice of words does not require trigger warnings. Also, try not to speak for entire groups, even if you are a part of such a group. Focus on your own experiences and responsibilities and avoid speaking for others.
Be part of the community
If you can participate actively in any way, please feel free to contact us. For example, we welcome people who can translate into different languages, know sign language, know a thing or two about Awareness, and so on. But this is not a requirement. We are open to your ideas on how you can actively contribute.
Nudity
There is a clear difference between cis-men* being shirtless in public and people affected by sexism doing the same. This difference manifests not only socially but also legally. Therefore, at our events, as long as we are not all equal before the law, we will all keep our clothes on. We reserve the right to exclude you from our events otherwise.
*A cis-man is a person who was assigned male at birth, identifies as a man, and lives as such.
Be open to the possibility that children may be present
We want to open this space regardless of age. This also means that children may be present. Please understand that children are welcome to be themselves, whatever that entails.
Ask questions
Let’s normalize that it’s okay to ask questions. Understanding other people’s decisions or actions can only happen if we don’t just assume but ask.
Share your knowledge with us
YAYA is a non-profit organization and network. This means that we, as a small group of community organizers, do this work unpaid. If you can support us in growing this community, we would be very glad. We also always welcome constructive feedback that helps us advance intersectional queer feminist work!
Appropriations
We reserve the right to exclude people who visibly appropriate other cultures (examples would be wearing dreadlocks as a white person, appropriating language…) from our events.
For our digital events:
Please turn on your camera, especially to protect others, it is important to know who is “really” behind the camera.
Mute your microphone when you are not speaking.
Do not take pictures or recordings without the consent of the other participants.