PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES AND ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY
Please read the Summit Guidelines and Anti- Harassment Policy.
Your participation in The Coaching Business Summit signifies your agreement to abide by the Summit Guidelines and Anti-Harassment Policy.
The Coaching Business Summit is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity in coaching, and business building. The core values for our work and the spaces we create are:
ALL PEOPLE -We welcome and create space for people of all backgrounds and seek to nurture a culture of respect, honesty, inclusion, understanding and engagement.
HARD CONVERSATIONS - We provide opportunities for honest, challenging, and thought-provoking discussions about equity, inclusion, and innovation. We center marginalized voices in these dialogues.
FIGHT FOR JUSTICE- We actively support and fight for equity and justice for oppressed groups. We commit to challenging and responding to bias, harassment, and discrimination. We actively work to dismantle systems of oppression.
BE AUTHENTIC – We invite people to show up as their fully human and authentic self. We create inclusive environments where people from all backgrounds can connect in the full spectrum of their identities, experiences, and passions.
LEARN, ADAPT AND BE BETTER- We actively and intentionally use models and practices that incorporate content that reflects diverse ways of knowing, being and experiencing the world. We engage in continuous reflection and collaboration to integrate what we learn into our culture and infrastructure.
INSPIRE AND DRIVE CHANGE- We believe that conversation is inadequate without commitment to take action. We work to inspire and drive social change around justice and inclusion through helping people identify actions needed to gain traction in their equity work.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE COACHING BUSINESS SUMMIT EVENTS The space you will enter for The Coaching Business Summit is focused on creating a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive space for all races, genders, and orientations.
That includes centering and lifting the voices of people from marginalized identities. People may share life experiences that are very different from your own. You might feel a range of emotions when engaging in this space. Including discomfort, sadness or even anger. If these feelings are too much you may choose to disengage or leave the event. But please do not affect the experience of other attendees.
Also please acknowledge that while you are experiencing these feelings and can leave the space, people from marginalized communities must live with the realities of oppressive systems within their lived experience each day.
We all must do better in order to shift the hierarchy of racial and gendered power with small meaningful and mindful steps at a time.
One of those steps includes ceding the floor and centering voices of people of color in regards to gender, sexual orientation, race, racism, and racial injustices.
We encourage white & hetero participants ask yourself these questions:
- When can I recognize a platform is available for me, but should be used by someone else?
- When can I leverage my voice to remove a barrier that is a hindrance to that someone marginalized?
- When can I de-center myself and my narrative to allow space for an underrepresented narrative
SUMMIT GUIDELINES WE ARE CREATING A BRAVE SPACE
Brave Spaces honor and invite full engagement from folks who are vulnerable while also setting the expectation that there could be an oppressive moment that the facilitator and allies have a responsibility to address.
EXPERIENCE DISCOMFORT
Open and truthful conversations about race, gender, sexuality etc. can be uncomfortable at times.
Try sitting with that discomfort and get curious about what that discomfort is trying to tell you.
Do you need some support in understanding a certain topic?
Are you defending your power or privilege?
Are you feeling vulnerable in your marginalized identity?
LISTEN FOR UNDERSTANDING
Sometimes the best action we can take is deeply and actively listening. Listening deeply to folks who choose to be vulnerable is sometimes the best way to show support and contribute to the conversation.
ASSUME NOTHING
If you think you might be misunderstanding something, ask questions respectfully. Be open to learning and growing in these conversations. Also, let go of any assumptions you may hold to make room for the possibility that you do not know the full picture.
BE CURIOUS
We make better decisions when we approach our problems and challenges with questions ("What if we ...?") and curiosity.
Allow space for play, curiosity, and creativity.
WORK TO RECOGNIZE YOUR PRIVILEGES
Use this space to recognize and investigate your privileges (for example: class, gender, sexual orientation, ability).
Honor the different experiences we all bring to this space.
We do not list race or gender here because by virtue of the dialogue, we intend to investigate white and gendered privilege.
This statement asks us to consider our other areas of privilege to create an intersectional lens, recognize the diversity among white people of all gender identities, and to be as inclusive as possible.
ACKNOWLEDGE AND COMBAT WHITE & STRAIGHT FRAGILITY
Many White and/or Straight people in the United States have been protected from racial and gendered stress. Engaging in conversations about racism or genders may trigger a range of defensive actions, feelings, and behaviors, such as anger, fear, and silence. Although white and gender fragility is not racism/marginalization, it may contribute to racism or marginalization by dismissing white/heterosexual domination and racial/gender conditioning. By developing racial and gender stamina, white & heterosexual gender-normative people can better address racism and strive to become anti-racist.
You can read more about White Fragility in this paper: White Fragility and the Rules of Engagement BY DR. ROBIN DIANGELO How to engage in the necessary dialogue and self-reflection that can lead to structural change. https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/diangelo-white_fragility_and_the_rules_of_engagement.pdf
EXPECT NON-CLOSURE
You may not find closure at the end of our time together and that is ok. Sit with it and continue to do your own self-work or reach out to others for additional support.
KNOW YOUR INTENT, OWN YOUR IMPACT
You may perceive your intent as harmless; however, the impact of your words/ actions can be hurtful, damaging or triggering. Be open to hearing the impact of your words and/or actions.
NO ONE KNOWS EVERYTHING; TOGETHER WE KNOW A LOT
This means we all get practice being humble, because we have something to learn from everyone in the room-even if we have a great deal of experience in an area. It also means we all have a responsibility to share what we know, as well as our questions, so that others may learn from us.
RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT OF YOUR LEARNING ON PEOPLE WITH MARGINALIZED IDENTITIES
Recognize and honor that unbridled curiosity and inquiries can be burdensome to people of color and those with a variety of marginalized identities who, in addition to processing oppressive dynamics, also take on the "teacher" role, providing explanations and context for folks. People of color and folks with other marginalized identities have the right to not answer your questions. SPEAK
YOUR TRUTH/ENCOURAGE DIALOGUE
Be willing to be vulnerable, honest, and open with your thoughts. Be aware of "silenced dialogue," where people may not speak up because they feel their experiences are undervalued, underappreciated, invalidated etc. Create space for others to speak.
WE CAN'T BE WORDSMITHS ALL OF THE TIME
As much as we would like, we just cannot. Often, people feel hesitant to participate in a workshop or meeting for fear of "messing up" or stumbling over their words. Additionally, it can sometimes be difficult to explain an oppressive dynamic with words--it can be a visceral feeling that is hard to describe, or so complex that words do not do it justice. We want everyone to feel comfortable participating. We value what you have to say, even if it may not be as clear as you like.
ANTI HARASSMENT POLICY
The Coaching Business Summit is dedicated to providing a harassment-free summit experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of summit participants in any form. [Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for any summit venue, including talks.]
Summit participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event [without a refund] at the discretion of the organizers.
Harassment includes, but is 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. Sexual images in public spaces Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following Harassing photography or recording Sustained disruption of talks or other events Inappropriate physical contact Unwelcome sexual attention Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
ENFORCEMENT
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers 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 summit [with no refund]. Event organizers 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!
GUIDELINES ADAPTED BY The Coach Summit from the SUMMIT FOR ACTION SUMMIT FOR ACTION adapted FROM: Citywild Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools by Glen Singleton and Curtis Linton Diversity and Inclusion Handbook for Outdoor Educators by Monserrat Alvarez Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance www.aortacollective.org AWARE-LA for more info visit: www.awarela.org And many other incredible anti-oppression leaders and facilitators.