Community Guidelines
As a community, we encourage:
Active Participation:
Active participation is crucial for building a strong community that thrives on collaboration and teamwork. Members should be encouraged to participate in discussions and decision-making processes to ensure that everyone's voices are heard and valued. It is through active participation that members can share their experiences, knowledge, and ideas, which can lead to personal and institutional growth.
Sharing/Disseminating Learning:
Sharing and disseminating learning is essential for building a community that values knowledge and expertise. Members should be encouraged to share their learning and experiences with others through various mediums such as workshops, seminars, or webinars. This sharing can help to create a culture of continuous learning and development, and ultimately, contribute to personal and institutional growth.
Reciprocation of Visits and Information Sharing:
Reciprocation of visits and information sharing is an important aspect of building strong relationships within a community. Members should be encouraged to visit and learn from one another, share information, and collaborate on projects. This kind of reciprocity can foster a sense of trust and respect among members, leading to personal and institutional growth.
Respectful Engagement:
Respectful engagement is critical for creating a positive and inclusive community. Members should be encouraged to engage in respectful discourse, even when opinions differ. This kind of engagement can promote healthy debate and constructive feedback, which can ultimately lead to personal and institutional growth.
Tolerance:
Tolerance is vital for building a community that values diversity and inclusion. Members should be encouraged to be tolerant of different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs, and to embrace differences as opportunities for learning and growth. This kind of tolerance can create a safe and welcoming environment for all members.
Seeing One Another as Peers: Equality:
Seeing one another as peers is an essential aspect of building a community that values equality. Members should be encouraged to treat each other as equals and recognize each other's unique skills and strengths. This kind of equality can foster a sense of collaboration and teamwork, leading to personal and institutional growth.
Gender Equity and Inclusion:
Gender equity and inclusion are crucial for building a community that values diversity and inclusion. Committees and other groups should be committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all genders, including underrepresented groups. This kind of inclusion can promote diversity of thought and experience, leading to personal and institutional growth.
Encouraging a non-competitive Posture of “Abundance”:
Gender equity and inclusion are crucial for building a community that values diversity and inclusion. Committees and other groups should be committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all genders, including underrepresented groups. This kind of inclusion can promote diversity of thought and experience, leading to personal and institutional growth.
Personal and Institutional Growth:
Personal and institutional growth is the ultimate goal of any community. Members should be encouraged to pursue their personal and professional development, as well as contribute to the growth and development of the community as a whole. This kind of growth mindset can lead to new ideas, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Celebrating Wins and Successes:
Celebrating wins and successes is critical for building a community that values positivity and encouragement. Members should be encouraged to celebrate each other's accomplishments, no matter how big or small. This kind of celebration can promote a culture of positivity and support, leading to personal and institutional growth.
Data Protection and Informed Consent:
Data protection and informed consent are essential for building a community that values privacy and security. Members should be informed about the collection, use, and sharing of their data and be given the opportunity to provide informed consent. This kind of protection can promote trust and transparency, leading to personal and institutional growth.
Well-Researched Validated, Factual Information:
Well-researched, validated, factual information is essential for building a community that values truth and honesty.
As a community, we do not tolerate:
We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any behavior that compromises our values and ethics. One such behavior is fraud, which involves dishonesty and deceit with the intention of gaining personal benefits. Such behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in any form.
We also do not tolerate personal and/or organizational attacks. Any attempt to damage the reputation or integrity of an individual or organization through malicious means will not be tolerated. Forgery and misrepresentation are also behaviors that we do not tolerate. We uphold honesty and transparency in all our dealings, and any attempt to falsify information or misrepresent facts will not be accepted.
Discrimination of protected rights/groups is also not acceptable in our community. We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment where everyone feels respected and valued. We do not tolerate any behavior that discriminates against any individual or group based on their protected characteristics.
We are particularly sensitive to the abuse of vulnerable groups such as children and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Any behavior that exploits or abuses such groups will not be tolerated in our community.
Defaming conversations or focusing on negative publicity is also not acceptable. We do not allow any discussions or incidents that may harm the reputation of an individual or organization. We also do not tolerate self-promotion that detracts from the objectives and intentions of the community. Such behavior should be done outside the group, and we encourage members to honor the value of networks while maintaining the focus of the group.
Sales for personal benefit versus services by an organization that can benefit others, such as water purification technologies, are also not acceptable. We expect all members to act in good faith and promote services that can benefit the community.
Our community is politically agnostic, and we do not promote or criticize any political party, opinion or position. We acknowledge the impact of politics on our work, but we do not allow any behavior that promotes a political agenda.
Finally, we do not tolerate fake news in our community. We uphold the truth and expect all members to be truthful and factual in their discussions and interactions.