Code of Conduct: An "ethics in action" framework with a focus on Balkan arts and cultural projects
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“Passing the lines - Open Assembly”, Balkan Myths and Misconceptions research, Some Call Us Balkans - by Rika Krithara CC BY-SA 4
Ethics in Action Framework
Code of Conduct
Living Document
Description: SCUB (Some Call Us Balkans) strives to create open and reusable resources within an “ethics in action” framework. The Code of Conduct is a living document co-edited and enriched along the SCUB activities, with the vision to be also a relevant document for other Balkan arts and cultural projects.
1 Purpose Statement
Some Call Us Balkans (SCUB) - Cultural Cooperation project is built upon a collective consensus of shared values and views among the partners, which constitute a co-created and open-ended Code of Conduct (CoC) that advocates for inclusivity, equality, and multivocality. The aim is to ensure a transparent, respectful and safe (online and offline) space for everyone, both within the SCUB community and in relation to other organisations and individuals. The SCUB CoC goes beyond national narratives while taking into account the Balkan specificity and the diverse backgrounds of the people involved, with a view to effectively bring together artists and communities of practice in a transdisciplinary cultural context.
2 Supported Groups
With a collaborative attitude being central in SCUB, the community is looking to build meaningful and reliable bonds with inclusive institutions and cultural workers, local communities, solidarity networks, independent activists, civil society representatives, members of the GLAM sector, active NGOs, artists’ groups, socially engaged projects and mindful individuals. All communication, selection, support, or otherwise participatory processes are strictly non-biased and non-discriminatory on any grounds (ex. gender, age, religion, race, etc), but rather consciously reflect the openness and accessibility of the project. SCUB particularly aspires to connect with marginalized, minority, underrepresented, lesser-known, or appreciated groups, in order to collectively create an impactful outcome and share knowledge on an equal basis.
3 Avoidables
Being respectful is key within the SCUB community, in order for everyone to feel welcome, understood, and heard. There is a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discriminating, insulting or racist behaviours of all sorts. SCUB does not support any type of biased, sexist, ageist, violent, or otherwise disrespectful attitude throughout all its events, meetings, and (digital/physical) activities, concerning either the core team or any collaborative parties.
4 Responses & Actions
SCUB community members are committed to assisting and supporting each other, by noticing and calling attention to problematic behaviours, while aiming at resolving complex issues and potential complications with composure and impartiality. Advocating initially for prevention, any team member or collaborative party is advised to voice out their problem and communicate any inconvenience, so that it can be openly discussed within the community, and managed in a polite and respectful way. If there is a problematic attitude observed in any online or offline interaction, the involved parties will be brought together to address and process it, to avoid any escalation of the situation. Ultimately, it is up to the SCUB community to decide whether there is a need for an apology to effectively resolve the issue, or if further action should be taken.
5 Encouraged Behaviours
Wishing to promote and maintain a mutually respectful, inclusive, and collaborative, digital and physical environment during all processes, it is important for SCUB (and non-SCUB) members to be responsible and considerate to all at all times. By keeping all collective processes transparent and taking into account each others’ time, resources, and creativity, the community aspires to effectively raise awareness on artists’ and art professionals’ rights, as well as to empower their work and resilience. At the same time, it is ok to not agree 100% on something, but it is important that the outcome of a democratic decision-making proceeding is respected. There can always be room for improvement or a different course of action, but everyone is entitled to an opinion and for their effort to be appreciated, so sharing feedback, requesting input, or commenting on someone’s work is advised to be done in a polite and productive manner.
6 Scope
All of the abovementioned behaviours and principles are applicable both for digital and physical spaces and are expected to facilitate internal and external communications and relations management throughout the project. With art acting as a catalyst for transformation in this long-term creative transformative process, SCUB community needs to ensure accessibility without discrimination for communities and individuals in all local and trans-local contexts, while caring for all those involved.
A respective approach based on open-access and ethical data sharing is also provisioned for all content produced during the project, which is placed under the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles, and is shared using the Creative Commons Licences.
7 Additional Elements
SCUB community aspires to be a safe zone for sharing knowledge, uplifting collective creation, and talking about the Balkans in a critical way through arts and culture, in order to explore new perspectives outside the Western canon and the dominant narratives. Despite aiming to interact and engage with a broad and diverse audience, communities are acknowledged a priori as a crucial aspect of the project and are to be approached with honesty, patience, and respect.
Additionally, SCUB wishes to take a firm stance regarding global climate change, and for that is committed to organising environmental-friendly events to address the urgency of the matter and the need for immediate reduction of the carbon footprint.
8 Reporting Guidelines
For SCUB community members
Request for an open dialogue among the members of the community via a public email addressed to all partners is a must, in order to maintain the transparency of the project’s processes and arrange for a dedicated meeting on the issue.
For all other parties
It is kindly requested that you report any insulting, disrespectful, or otherwise unwanted behaviour to SCUB via email, social media, or personal contact. Your anonymity will be fully respected. #SCUBcommunity is constantly at your disposal for any further clarifications and support.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
