The Polyglot Conference is dedicated to providing a conference experience and a safe environment for all, free of harassment, and all judgement, for the purpose of expressing our love of languages and language learning, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, skin colour, age, religion (or lack thereof) or language, be it in person or online. Language enthusiasts and polyglots from all over the world attend the Polyglot Conference to talk about their love of languages, language learning strategies, and practice their speaking, among similar activities, and come from many diverse backgrounds with different customs and traditions. While we expect our attendees to actively participate in our activities and make new friends, we also expect them to adhere to rules of good conduct posted in this Code of Conduct, treat each other with respect, and do goodwill onto one another, in order for the environment to be a safe, educational, and fun place for all.
Our Values
We value and highly appreciate each and every one of you who in the past have participated, or in the future will participate in the Polyglot Conference. One of the special things that we are most proud of is the fact that many people from many parts of the world, with different perspectives, backgrounds, professions, and languages spoken, and this diversity manifests itself in the various presentations of the Conference as well as its attendees.
Our Expectations
We expect all participants to contribute to our event, be it in person or online, in various positive ways, but not limited to:
- Supporting your fellow language enthusiasts in their language learning endeavors. Everyone’s language journey is different, and so is their language abilities, and the way they learn.
- Being respectful and humane in all interactions with others, in real life, and/or online. Be friendly and polite to all members of the event, and aid in creating an environment that is conducive to learning and fun for all.
- Be considerate when expressing opinions, consider giving constructive criticism of something instead of giving negative opinions.
- Engaging in interesting discussions regarding anything that involves the Polyglot Conference, or languages and language learning in general, including promotion of learning indigenous languages, for example.
Violations of Code of Conduct and Discipline
We do not tolerate violations of the Code of Conduct in any form. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers. Violations include, but are not limited to:
- Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination [related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion or language.
- Sexual images in public spaces.
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following others.
- Harassing photography or recording.
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events.
- Inappropriate physical contact.
- Unwelcome sexual attention or of any kind.
- Spamming online, or sending unwelcome messages to other members for commercial purposes, seeking romantic relationships, or other purposes that don’t relate to the Polyglot Conference. Repeatedly sending unwanted messages is considered harassment.
- Impersonating members online, creating a false profile to impersonate another member or to promote an organization.
- Posting the personal information of other members in the forum, such as telephone numbers, physical address, credit card information, etc.
- Hate speech, offensive language and defamation, and threats of violence towards other members or towards the Polyglot Conference
- Posting third-party content that doesn’t belong to you online
- Posting content that encourages self-harm online
- Any comments regarding religion and politics that don’t stimulate a conversation about languages, and instead serve to insult others, belittle events or groups, and/or promote beliefs or ideologies. These topics are often very sensitive and should always be treated as such. If you don’t have anything nice to say, it’s better to say nothing at all.
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour.
Enforcement
Participants asked to stop any improper behavior are expected to comply immediately. Exhibitors in the expo hall, sponsor or vendor booths, or similar activities are also subject to the Code of Conduct. In particular, exhibitors should not use sexualised images, activities, or other material that isn’t related to the Polyglot Conference. Booth staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualised clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualized environment. If a participant engages in improper behaviour, event organisers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund. Event organisers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities. We think people should follow these rules outside event activities too!
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to one of the Conference Organisers. Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place.
Personal Report
You can make a personal report by contacting any member of the Organising team.When taking a personal report, our staff will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. They may involve other event staff to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won’t be asked to confront anyone and we won’t tell anyone who you are. Our team will be happy to help you contact hotel/venue security, local law enforcement, local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.
Contacts
Email address for organisers
License and attribution
This policy is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero license. It is public domain, no credit and no open licencing of your version is required.
This anti-harassment policy is based on the example policy from the Geek Feminism wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers.