Village Community Agreements

This document articulates rights and responsibilities for all Village Members.

Village Community Agreements support our goal of facilitating connections between members by providing shared understanding of our community standards.  We recognize that relationships are complicated and see opportunities for growth within interpersonal challenges.

This document intends to set clear expectations for individuals wishing to participate in Village  with respect to expectations, rights, and resources for handling conflict.

Member Expectations

By joining Village as a member, you consent to the following:

• To receive emails from Village@Villageco.org. These include:

  • Gathering emails: Invitation, Bulletin, and Summary

  • Notifications and activity confirmations

  • Other periodic emails related to your Village involvement

• To uphold Village as an inclusive space open to people of all genders, ages, sexual orientations, abilities, beliefs, ethnic backgrounds, and citizenships.

• To speak and act respectfully at Village events. 

• To stay involved with Village at a level that feels right to you. Involvement includes attending or checking into gatherings, and taking roles.  If you no longer wish to participate, use the unsubscribe link in any email or speak to a member of VillageCore (see below).

• To participate in a manner that is comfortable for you as we engage in open, complex, and sometimes controversial conversations.

• In the event that your membership has been suspended through the conflict resolution process, you will avoid all involvement with Village activities. You may have a right to rejoin Village as a member depending on the terms of your suspension.

Member Rights

As a Member of Village, you are entitled to the following rights:

• Right to Participation - you have the right to participate in any aspect of Village you’d like, including inviting visitors, leading engagements, taking roles, joining work groups, and attending gatherings.
  For a complete list of ways you can participate with Village, refer to our Village Member's Guide

• Right to Privacy - your contact information will be kept private and will not be shared with any third parties for any reason. You have a right to be notified about the intended use of photos and videos taken during gatherings prior to them being taken. You have a right to contact the individuals responsible for the protection of data in your Village, which will be disclosed at the bottom of all Village emails.

• Right to Data - you may request to view or receive a copy of your information in our Village Platform. You may also request to have your information modified or permanently deleted. Such requests may be sent to the Village email address, and will be addressed by a Village Administrator.

Release of Liability

Village Communities are not licensed, monitored, or guaranteed by any formal organization. Rather, VillageCo works to support Village Builders to start their own communities. Members may not hold VillageCo liable for injuries incurred as a result of participating with a Village Community.

Resources for Handling Conflicts 

As conflicts are a part of most relationships and  addressing them in a healthy and productive manner is a practice for everyone, we have organized the following resources to assist members with interpersonal conflicts that arise within Village communities.

Villages are non-professional, all-volunteer groups of people which strive to build connections between each other and strengthen their community.  The following resources are not intended to replace existing resources such as law enforcement officials, professional counselors and mediators, or healthcare providers.  

The goal of handling conflicts is twofold: 

1. Resolution of interpersonal, noncriminal conflict between individual members; and

2. To maintain the integrity of the Village community and its gatherings. 

Outlined below is a process which we hope will lead to a successful outcome

VillageCore

The VillageCore is a group of members within the Village who are more involved in taking roles, welcoming newcomers, training and supporting members, and administering the community.

VillageCore Members have agreed to support members with addressing interpersonal conflicts. 

VillageCore Members can be identified in Village emails by noting the badge on their check ins, or in the Member Directory.

VillageCore Responses

VilalgeCore Members may assist a member with a conflict in the following ways;

1. They may talk through ways to address the issue with the other person or people involved with the conflict.  Often having someone to talk through the situation can result in possible strategies to move forward.

2. They may involve other VillageCore members that are not involved in the conflict to get ideas or support.  Other VillageCore Members may have more direct experiences related to the specific situation, or may provide a fresh perspective.

3. VillageCore Members may facilitate a meeting with all parties involved.  This meeting’s goals would include ensuring the issue is addressed, along with the felt injuries or outcomes.  It may also serve as a means to assess strategies that help all parties move the conflict closer to resolution.

4. Lastly, VillageCore Members may, if determined as an outcome of a facilitated meeting, revoke or suspend the membership of another Member.

Contacting a VillageCore Member

To initiate a conversation with a VillageCore Member about a conflict, use any means available and comfortable.  Such means include email, phone, or private conversation before or after a Village gathering.

Origin of Agreements

These Member Agreements were co-created in a series of discussions, meetings, and emails which involved members of Village Seattle between July and December of 2022.  This version was revised by members of VillageCo in 2024, reviewed by the General Circle, and approved by consent on _____.

ARCHIVE

New Process

If you’ve had an issue with someone and already talked to them about it…

Next, the person with the issue talks to any member of VillageCore

Ways VillageCore may help

5. Talk through ways to address the issue with the other person

6. Involve other VillageCore members that are not involved in the conflict to get ideas or support

7. Facilitate a meeting with all parties involved

Ways conflicts can be addressed

• A member may be suspended from attending Village gatherings

The goal of the process is twofold: 

3. Resolution of interpersonal, noncriminal conflict between individual members; and

4. To maintain the integrity of the Village community and its gatherings. 

Because there is no authoritative governing body in the Village, it is up to Villagers who experience conflict to address and resolve them in good faith.  This includes anyone identified as connected to the conflict (as perceived sources, witnesses, or intermediaries) to engage the process in good faith. 

For clarity, this process will be described with the following terminology: 

• ‘Villager A’ for the person who invokes the process; 

• ‘Villager(s) B’ for the person(s) identified by Villager A as the source of a conflict; and 

• References to all participants in the process use the inclusive ‘they’ pronoun. 

VillageCore

• VillageCore Agreement / support each other for conflict resolution / involved others as needed

The conflict resolution process relies on participation of the Village Assist Team, which consists of Village members who have experience with or relevant demonstrated skills for conflict resolution. They serve the Village in this capacity as volunteers who can draw on a more objective perspective and on best practices for resolving interpersonal conflict. However, they do not provide legal mediation or psychotherapeutic support. 

The Village Assist Team member will not “take sides;” instead, they will help A and B navigate the conflict, identify possible paths to resolution, and, if necessary, articulate an agreement to move forward. Information about the current Village Assist Team can be found [here].

New Process

If you’ve had an issue with someone and already talked to them about it…

Next, the person with the issue talks to any member of VillageCore

Ways VillageCore may help

8. Talk through ways to address the issue with the other person

9. Involve other VillageCore members that are not involved in the conflict to get ideas or support

10. Facilitate a meeting with all parties involved

Ways conflicts can be addressed

• A member may be suspended from attending Village gatherings

Step 1: Dialogue

When Villager A experiences conflict (which might describe as a perceived single instance or pattern of harm, injury, insult, or intimidation) that deters their ability or desire to participate in the Village, the first step is to start a dialogue with Villager B (either by video chat or in person, not via email or text) to address a perceived conflict. The purpose of that dialogue is to identify both the specific actions or behaviors that led to this conflict and their impact on Villager A and a path to resolution. 

Both Villagers A and B may invite another Villager to participate in the conversation to provide “moral support.” If the nature of the conflict is sensitive or makes affected members uncomfortable, Villagers A and B may engage the Village Assist Team to assess the conflict and facilitate the conversation. If there is any concern of criminal behavior, the Village Assist Team members will refer the situation to appropriate legal authorities. 

The goal of this dialogue is to resolve the conflict so that both Villagers A and B might continue to participate in Village gatherings, reassured of each other’s mutual respect. If Villager B affirms Villager A’s perception, they should apologize and commit to avoiding such behavior in the future. If this dialogue does not lead to resolution, a member of the Village Assist Team will mediate the conflict to “unpack” the situation and to seek mutual understanding of the interaction and resolution of the conflict. 

Step 2: Village Assist Mediation

If Villagers A and B are unable to resolve the conflict through dialogue, members of the Village Assist Team will mediate the conflict and identify a path to reconciliation.

To reach out to the Village Assist Team, go to the standard “check in” form. Instead of checking in for a gathering, select “Village Assist,” and a member of the team will reach out to meet with Villagers A and B. 

Step 3: Resolution

“Resolution” means that Villagers A and B agree on the origin and impact of a conflict and jointly commit to respectful interactions and maintaining the integrity of the Village community. If they are not able to reach resolution through dialogue or mediation, the Village Assist Team member will identify next steps, which might include an explicit agreement for future interactions, a commitment to maintain a respectful distance from each other, or (if the process has demonstrated that either Villager A or B is responsible for the conflict and remains unwilling to repair the situation) temporary suspension from participating in Village gatherings. 

Creation of These Agreements

These Member Agreements were co-created in a series of discussions, meetings, and emails which involved members of Village  between July and December of 2022.  The final version of this document was drafted by Bill Hulseman, assembled by Jason Sears, and reviewed by Ariele Gold in December, 2022.