The Dream Foundry Code of Conduct

The official document lives in this file. It is recreated here for ease of access. This page was last updated to reflect the state of the official document on June 22, 2021. Where this page and the official document conflict, the official document holds. If you notice a discrepancy between what is posted here and what is in the official document, please contact leaders@dreamfoundry.org with the information so we can promptly correct this page.

  1. Purpose
    • The Dream Foundry (Organization) is dedicated to helping creatives of all types launch their careers in the speculative arts. Our core principles are inclusivity, mentorship, networking and relevance. In support of our mission and principles, the Organization promotes and respects individual’s freedom of expression and open communication. At the same time, the Organization expects to foster an environment of respect and collaboration. In support of our mission and principles, the Organization promotes and respects individual’s right to a nurturing and supportive online community. 
    • The purpose of the Conduct Policy is to outline general expectations of conduct, in particular within online spaces so that representatives and community members may work together to further the mission of our Organization. This policy exists in alignment with other Organization’s policies.
  2. Scope
    • This policy applies to all representatives (volunteers, employees, contractors and Board Directors) of the Organization regardless of agreement and/or rank. Any representative that is found to be in violation of any element of this policy may receive disciplinary action as outlined in the appropriate section. 
    • Additionally, this policy applies to all individuals (regardless of their professional relationship with the Organization) who participate in the Organization’s online spaces (e.g. Discord). Any individual that is found to be in violation of guidelines listed are subject to disciplinary actions as outlined in our General Guidelines section.
  3. Elements
    • Duties and Authority
      1. It is the responsibility of each representative to read and follow our Organization’s policies. All representatives should be collaborative and mission-oriented and should fulfill their assigned duties with integrity and respect towards other representatives and the community at large. Free and open communication amongst representatives allows the organization to best meet our goals. This is exemplified by representatives being able to:
        1. Ask for counsel
        2. Raise questions
        3. Raise awareness of a problem
        4. Make suggestions for change 
        5. Ask for resolution of a conflict
        6. Express complaints and/or concerns
      2. Anyone with supervisory or managerial responsibilities will not abuse the authority entrusted to them.
    • Anti-harassment:
      1. The Organization is committed to maintaining an environment (both offline and online) where all may feel safe and welcome. The willful discrimination based on age, race, color, marital status, veteran status, ancestry, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, neurodiversity, or disability is prohibited. The purposeful and willful harassment, discrimination, abuse or retaliation by or of representatives, guests and community partners will not be tolerated. Harassment includes bullying, intimidation, direct insults, malicious gossip and victimization. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:
        1. Unwelcome remarks (verbal and written), gestures or physical contact
        2. The display or circulation of offensive, derogatory or sexually explicit pictures or other materials, including by email, in the Discord and on the Internet
        3. Offensive online behavior (e.g. doxing and outing)
        4. Offensive or derogatory jokes or comments
        5. Pursuing or flirting with another persistently without the other’s willing participation
        6. Stalking (includes both physical and virtual spaces)
        7. Insinuating, proposing or demanding sexual favors of any kind
        8. Verbal, physical, and/or sexual abuse or threats.
        9. The Organization’s rules on harassment:
        10. No one has the right to harass our representatives.
        11. Our representatives do not have the right to harass others.
        12. Harassment is never too minor to be investigated. The Organization’s definition of harassment may not necessarily align with legal definitions of harassment.
        13. Harassment need not occur in the Organization’s affiliated spaces (both offline and online) for them to be considered.
        14. Every harassment claim is assumed to be legitimate unless proven otherwise.
        15. The Organization will not allow further victimization of harassed individuals.
        16. The Organization will support anyone who wants to press charges against offenders.
        17. All rules related to harassment are applicable across offline and online communities. 
      2. Disagreements or interpersonal conflicts may arise between members, representatives and/or guests of the Organization that do not escalate to the point of harassment or abuse. The Organization is not legally required to mediate interpersonal conflict but may opt to mediate where appropriate. Should the Organization opt to mediate, they may opt out of the process at any time. It is the expectation of every member, representative or guest of the Organization that they will not allow these conflicts or disagreements to interfere with the day to day operations of the Organization. If at any time these conflicts escalate to the point that they either violate personal safety of individual(s) or violate this policy or other policies of the Organization, steps may be taken as outlined in the Reporting Violations/Disciplinary Actions sections of this policy. 
      3. Please refer to the Reporting Violations section for the Organization’s avenues for reporting and anti-retaliation policy. Please refer to the Disciplinary Actions section for the Organization’s policy on disciplinary actions for policy violation. For further details on the Organization’s online communities, please refer to the Community Management section of this policy.
    • Legal compliance
      1. Representatives of the Organization are obligated to adhere to the bounds of the applicable laws, rules and regulations of the countries in which we are physically present. This includes, but is not limited to any and all applicable anti-corruption laws. The Organization acknowledges that laws can be complex. If representatives have questions or concerns, they must reach out to the Board for guidance. To consult with the Board, please email leaders@dreamfoundry.org.
    • Communication
      1. All representatives of the Organization should endeavor to communicate both externally and internally in a clear and accurate manner. Prior to making formal statements on behalf of the Organization, consult with the Board so that messaging is consistent and to verify alignment with the Organization’s mission and values. To consult with the Board, please email leaders@dreamfoundry.org.
    • Conflict of Interest
      1. It is the expectation that representatives of the Organization will utilize their best judgment to act in the best interest of the Organization while performing their responsibilities for the Organization. If possible, representatives of the Organization should attempt to avoid conflicts of interests or the appearance of conflicts of interest. If it is not possible to abstain from a conflict of interest or the appearance of one, it is the obligation of the individual representative to disclose the potential conflict of interest and to avoid participating in decisions that may appear to be a conflict of interest until the representative has received guidance from the Board.  To disclose a potential conflict of interest, please contact the Chief Compliance Officer at compliance@dreamfoundry.org.
    • Online Community Management
      1. Community Management Structure
        1. Community Manager
        2. The Community Manager will be appointed by the Board of Directors (Board). In absence of a Community Manager, an Interim Community Manager will be selected. The Interim Community Manager may be a member of the Board. The responsibilities of the Community Manager include:
          1. Overseeing, hiring and dismissing Moderators
          2. Developing and implementing new avenues for online outreach of the Organization, in collaboration with relevant teams (such as the Social Media and Content teams).
          3. Maintaining existing avenues of online outreach
        3. Moderators
          1. Moderators will be selected by the Community Manager. Moderator responsibilities include:
            1. Ensuring that the guidelines that are outlined in this policy are adhered to within the Organization’s online spaces (e.g. Discord).
            2. Interpreting the spirit of the guidelines and enforcing the guidelines in the Organization’s online spaces.
            3. The moderator team is empowered to act independently and without direct input from the Community Manager, but may refer issues that defy consensus or warrant attention from the broader organization to them.
            4. Responding in a timely manner to issues that may arise within the community.
            5. Providing any relevant reports or updates to the Community Manager.
            6. Being identifiable as a moderator.
            7. Providing a welcoming environment as an authority in the Organization’s online spaces.
      2. General guidelines
        1. Other Organization policies
          1. All community members shall follow the guidelines as well as related organizational policies. They are charged to follow the spirit of the guidelines as well as the letter, and enforcement of the guidelines will place primary value on honoring that spirit.
          2. Any questions regarding guidelines should be referred to a Moderator. 
        2. Expectations within online Community
          1. Online communication, particularly in groups that span a variety of professional and personal backgrounds, has many failings.  Community members are charged to grant the benefit of the doubt to each other and seek amicable solutions to disagreements.  Where doing so is inappropriate, the best course is to call Moderator attention to the situation and seek resolution that way.
          2. Treat others with respect. Community members may disagree. Do it respectfully.
          3. Intrinsic qualities of an individual shall be respected and shall not be used as a reason to bully, threaten or be otherwise abusive. All forms of harassment as detailed in the Conduct Policy are strictly prohibited.
          4. Off topic comments are permitted if they don’t cause problems. However, at moderator discretion they will be asked to move to more appropriate space.
          5. Conversations which introduce controversy and strife without bearing relevance to or serving the organization’s mission are inappropriate and will be closed.
            1. Individuals discussing elements intrinsic to their identity and/or lived experiences is not introducing controversy except where those identity elements are primarily defined as opposition to the intrinsic identity of others.
          6. Any allegation of harassment should be referred to a Moderator or by using the Organization’s complaint form.
          7. Anything that is posted within our online community is subject to potential review and may be removed as deemed appropriate by Moderators and/or the Community Manager.
        3. Legal statement
          1. Community members shall not post or transmit any information or material or otherwise use the Organization’s online spaces (including emails associated with the Organization) for any activity which breaches any laws or regulations, violates a third party’s rights/privacy or is contrary to any relevant Organizational or legal regulation, code, or policy. Community members and representatives of the Organization also shall not permit or enable another to do any of these activities.
        4. Malicious content
          1. Community members and organizational representatives shall not transmit any virus or other material that tampers with, hinders the operation of, or otherwise makes unauthorized modifications of any of the Organization’s online spaces.
        5. Consequences:
          1. Penalties for violations of these guidelines range from issuing warnings to revoking accounts and taking it to the board.
          2. If a community member sees a violation of these guidelines, they can report it to the Moderators.
          3. If the situation merits, disciplinary actions detailed in Conduct Policy section H may be enacted. 
        6. User Agreement
          1. By becoming a member of the Organization’s online community, individuals are agreeing to accept the guidelines listed here and adhere to them.
          2. As needed, these guidelines may be updated. Any updates shall be shared with the community. By continuing to participate in the community, individuals shall be deemed to have accepted the updated guidelines and agree to adhere to them.
      3. Non-Affiliated Online Presence
        1. Expectations:
          1. It is expected that all Organizational representatives will act in accordance with the Community Management Policy and any other relevant organizational policies to the best of their abilities at all times, even in non-affiliated spaces. Failure to do so could result in termination of their relationship with the Organization.
          2. Questions related to this section of the policy may be forwarded to leaders@dreamfoundry.org. 
      4. Reporting Violations and Anti-retaliation
        1. If a representative of this Organization learns about, suspects, or is otherwise affected by the violation of this policy or any other Organization policy, they shall report it to their supervisor and/or the Board. If a representative feels uncomfortable making a report, they may do so anonymously when possible.
        2. In situations where a suspected violation of policy or law is made in good faith, all efforts will be made to keep the discussion, investigation and subsequent actions confidential to the greatest extent possible as permissible by applicable laws and regulations. The Organization will investigate any report of a violation. All representatives of the Organization are expected to cooperate fully with any investigation of a policy violation, but should not investigate independently in order to protect the integrity of any formal investigation.
        3. The Organization will not retaliate against anyone who makes a good faith report of a potential violation. Furthermore, it is against Organization policy (and may be unlawful), for any representative to retaliate against any person for reporting a violation in good faith, expressing the intent to report a violation, assisting other individuals in reporting violations, or participating in any investigation (both internal and external) of violations to this or any other Organization policy.
        4. Avenues for reporting violations to policies:
          1. An employee or volunteer of the Organization may report violations directly to their supervisor/manager or any member of the Board. 
          2. A guest or community partner may report violations directly to any representative of the Organization. It is the expectation that representatives of the Organization will convey the report to the appropriate individual.
          3. A guest, community partner, employee or volunteer of the Organization may file a report by sending an email to compliance@dreamfoundry.org  or by submitting a complaint form.
      5. Disciplinary Actions
        1. The Organization has the authority to take disciplinary action against any representative (employees, board members, volunteers) who intentionally fails or repeatedly violates any element of the Conduct Policy. Disciplinary actions will vary depending on the violation and is up to the discretion of the Board. Possible consequences include:
          1. Reprimand
          2. Demotion or removal from formal position
          3. Suspension from the Organization
          4. Termination from the Organization (anyone found guilty of physical and/or sexual harassment or assault will be terminated from the Organization upon first offense)
        2. Furthermore, we reserve the right to take legal action in cases of theft, embezzlement, corruption or other unlawful behavior. In cases of harassment and assault, the Organization will defer to the individual who has been harassed or assaulted in regards to legal prosecution.