OpenCon seeks to build a community that can create culture change at scale and in context, toward more open, diverse, and inclusive systems for research and education. We try to embed the following values into our work, and we ask our community to do so as well. We constantly strive to improve our approach to making OpenCon a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive space—online and in-person.
Commitment to Diversity at OpenCon
We encourage everyone to participate and are committed to building a community for all. We seek to treat everyone both as fairly and equitably as possible. Although this list cannot be exhaustive, we explicitly honor diversity in age, gender, gender identity or expression, culture, ethnicity, language, national origin, political beliefs, profession, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and technical ability. When community members make mistakes, we expect them to take responsibility for it. If someone has been harmed or offended, it is our responsibility to listen carefully and respectfully, and do our best to right the wrong.
OpenCon Community Values
Our community strives to:
- Be friendly and patient.
- Be welcoming and inclusive: We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, personal appearance, political affiliation, marital status, family responsibilities, veteran status, matriculation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, or any other legally protected status.
- Be considerate: Your work will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that we’re a worldwide community, so you might not be communicating in someone else’s primary language.
- Be respectful: Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Communication of boundaries is encouraged.
- Be careful in the words that we choose: we are a community of professionals, and we conduct ourselves professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior aren’t acceptable.
- Be ready to grow: Whenever members of the community make a mistake, they should take responsibility for it. If someone has been harmed or offended, it is our responsibility to listen carefully and respectfully, and do our best to right the wrong.
- Try to understand why we disagree: Disagreements happen all the time. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different. The strength of our community comes from its diversity. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that it is human to err and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
Attribution & Acknowledgements
- The TODO Group Open Source Code of Conduct served as a starting point for this values statement, which was adapted.