Fri 27 Jul 2018 1:39AM
Reporting Guidelines: Feedback for revisions
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On July 30th @ 14:00UTC another zoom conversation will take place with regards to the ongoing creation of Reporting Guidelines and Code of Conduct.
We are soliciting feedback from the entire membership of social.coop to inform areas of concern that should be discussed and/or have been overlooked in the writing of the reporting guidelines to date.
Here is the latest version of the Reporting Guidelines: https://pad.disroot.org/p/iA1MGxaLAq#
I have attached a pdf of the guidelines should you not be able to access the online version above.
Please note that there is a 'points for discussion' at the bottom of the document.
Simon Grant · Mon 30 Jul 2018 5:03PM
Thanks for the video discussion earlier, where much of this was raised and talked over. To me, it's fine that some people find the prospect of softer conflict resolution daunting. However in my experience the harder approach alone rarely solves anything, and makes for hugely more wasted time and energy in the long run. It's just that it isn't always obvious.
We'll have a go, anyway, at spelling out more of what a soft resolution process would look like, and in my opinion it is just about all there in Enspiral's materials. If I were to add one thing, it might be that even before being "qualified" people differ greatly in their natural or learned abilities in empathy, active / reflective listening, and conflict resolution processes more widely. I would like us to be more aware of these skills, to give them lots of credit and encouragement where they appear, and to encourage people actively to develop them.
Several techniques can be developed effectively without needing qualifications. (One does of course need some insight, awareness and maturity!) As Enspiral say, NVC is one useful starting point, though not without critics. I find Radical Honesty a useful complement, though also with reservations. I find Parker Palmer's work inspiring, though perhaps even more challenging to do well. The approach I have most experience of so far is Restorative Circles which I have found very helpful and promising in real cases of community conflict.
So, I'm hoping that we will be able to add another layer of care to the "reporting" process above, while keeping something like what has been proposed as a backstop when softer approaches fail (as they sometimes do). But the benefits of these softer approaches are many. It's an environment where people can grow, emotionally and socially, rather than being further marginalised and alienated. It's a way of including and supporting people, of healing even. It's a way of recognising that people's misbehaviour is sometimes a tragic misguided attempt at connection, and not losing the great value of restoring someone to a caring and productive community.