Code of Conduct
Bridge School (Bridge) is a federally-incorporated not-for-profit organization that brings together people who believe that we can and should remove barriers preventing members of marginalized groups from participating fully and equally in the technology industry. We do this by supporting and building the skills of women, agender, and non-binary professionals via free eleven week software development and product design programs. In small classes, and through hands-on project-based work, we improve developers’ and designers’ skills and greatly increase their confidence.
While providing high-value advanced education at zero cost to pursue gender equity within the tech industry, we strive to create spaces that are safe for learning and critical discourse. In doing so, this Code of Conduct serves as our guide. It is a living document that will continually evolve as we learn from our community about how to better foster inclusive environments that are welcoming to anyone who wishes to participate.
With this Code, we expect our community members to fully cooperate in being respectful to one another's minds and bodies. This means practicing thoughtfulness when engaging with those who have differing perspectives. This is a minimum requirement for all Bridge team members and people participating in Bridge programming. Behaviour not meeting these standards will not be tolerated.
To ensure all expectations in this Code are communicated to our community, we take the following measures:
- We require all team members to read and agree to the Code of Conduct prior to attending programming, gatherings and engaging in the community.
- We require all people participating in Bridge programming to read and agree to the Code of Conduct prior to attending programming, gatherings and engaging in the community.
- We share the Code of Conduct widely with our community and beyond.
Remember — this Code of Conduct is a living, breathing document! We need voices from our community to make it better. If you have any feedback, please email us at hello@bridgeschool.io.
Do's
Put well-being first - We care about you. Nothing is more important to us than your well-being, and the welfare of the community. This includes both your physical and mental well-being. Please be mindful of your health and safety when engaging in the community. We strongly encourage each member of our community to promote positive interactions, and to support members of the community who may be seeking support. This could include anything from making new friends, to offering mentorship opportunities. In short, be kind and look out for one another.
Respectfully engage with the community - With any community as diverse as our own, we will inevitably encounter disagreements and differences of opinion. We expect you to be respectful when engaging in community discussions and debates in order to maintain a high degree of respect Please engage respectfully with community members by taking the time to understand their perspective, while also being mindful of how you deliver your own contributions to the conversation. In short, please be respectful and courteous.
Use inclusive language - We encourage the use of name tags at all of our events, which highlight our community members’ names and pronouns. Please be respectful of all Bridge team members’ and programming participants’ pronouns and names. If you accidentally use the wrong name or pronouns, or aren’t sure which to use, please politely ask the individual for their preferences.
Don'ts
Harassment - Bridge does not tolerate harassment under any circumstances. Harassment means aggressive, offensive, or invasive behaviour towards another person. This includes any kind of physical harassment, such as unwanted physical contact, unwanted sexual attention, or violence and intimidation. It also includes any verbal or written harassment, which means any aggressive or offensive commentary based on one’s identity, gender, sexuality, ability, neurotype, physical appearance, origin, faith, or community. We do not tolerate bigotry and hateful behaviour. Furthermore, we consider harassment to encompass both direct or indirect encounters.
Please review the following sections of the Criminal Code of Canada below for reference. For more information, please see the full copy of the Criminal Code of Canada.
Criminal harassment, Assault, Sexual Offenses
To learn more about human rights in Canada, please visit the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Solicitation and advertisements - Bridge does not allow any solicitation, promotion, or advertisement at our gatherings (whether in-person or digital) without prior approval from our organizers.
Gendered language - Wherever possible, please avoid using gendered language. This can include terms like “ladies”, “female”, or “girls”, or similar phrases for a group or individual. Instead opt for neutral terms such as “everyone”, “folks”, or “y’all”. Please also follow this online on the Slack community.
Photography and media recording - If you are participating in a Bridge event or program in any way, please don’t engage in unwanted photography or recording. Before taking any photos or video, please ask for permission from all parties involved.
Responding to Don'ts
So what do you do if you find yourself in a situation where you’re witnessing, or being subjected to Don’t behaviours?
Say “no” or “stop”.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing so, please remove yourself from the situation and contact one of our Bridge team members or executives.
If you are experiencing an emergency, please contact the appropriate authorities.
You can find Bridge team members in-person at all of our gatherings. You can also message Bridge executives Emily Porta, Purvi Kanal or Lindsie Canton on Slack, or email us at hello@bridgeschool.io. If you choose to contact us, we will listen to you, and work with you confidentially to resolve the situation. When appropriate, we are prepared to involve third parties, including but not limited to security services or law enforcement.
If you do not feel comfortable contacting the organizers for help, please contact someone you trust, or the aforementioned third parties directly.
Anyone who is asked to stop engaging in the behaviours listed above is expected to comply immediately. If you receive an assertion of “no “ or “stop”, please do not immediately react by arguing. Instead, stop and carefully listen to what the speaker has to say. If you are unable to resolve the situation collectively, we ask that you remove yourself from it. If you require any assistance in such matters, please do not hesitate to find our Bridge team members in-person, message Bridge executives on Slack, or email us at hello@bridgeschool.io.
Those who do not comply with our Code of Conduct in good faith can expect appropriate action to be taken by Bridge team members, which may include conflict mediation, close-monitoring by executives, ejection from programs, gatherings or community platforms, or involvement from security staff or law enforcement.
Thank-you's and attribution
Bridge would like to thank the UX Research Collective, JSConfEU and Django Project for helping inspire and shape this Code of Conduct.
We would also like to thank all of the Bridge community members in advance for abiding by this Code of Conduct so that we can provide a safe space for everyone, at all times.