πŸ“”Values

Be Considerate

  • There are different levels of digital literacy and language/localization in a global community.

  • Help each volunteer find roles that work for them and help them learn.

  • Be mindful of people's time.

  • Be respectful toward all time zones.

  • We agree to make this an environment where it is safe to ask for help.

Be Respectful

  • Consider the ethics of data sharing/ownership.

  • Practice and contribute under the principle of "do no harm".

  • Recognize that we have potential to do harm and commit to constantly reassessing this risk.

  • Understand and work with the community and audience as to what "harm" means to them.

  • Be polite, friendly and patient in all forms of communication and value each other's ideas,styles and viewpoints.

  • Be careful in the words that you choose.

Be Inclusive

  • Being inclusive means being kind and community focused.

  • Go out of your way and across cultures to include people and help new perspectives to be heard.

  • Avoid slang or idioms that might not translate across cultures, or be deliberate in explaining them to share our diverse cultures and languages.

  • Speak plainly and avoid acronyms and jargon that not everyone may have an understanding of.

  • Be an ally to others when you see a need.

  • Accomodate many cultural practises, attitude and beliefs.

Be Collaborative

  • When we disagree, we consult others.

  • When we are unsure, we ask for help.

  • Give feedback. Good feedback is kind, respectful, clear, and constructive, and focused on goals and values rather than personal preferences.

  • We take care of ourselves and each other so we can make great contributions and be around for the long haul.

  • Hand off your work considerately by turning over remaining tasks to the coordinator, team lead or another contributor.

  • Ensure and create thorough documentation to protect resilience.

Be Transparent

  • Maintain transparency of process and code.

  • Share your process, best practices, and lessons learned so others have opportunities to share with you, and to help build community.

  • The community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. No prerequisites exist to participate in the community. Inclusiveness in make-up, action, and participation.

    • (Prerequisites do have to be set. Depending on how a VTC is organized, their leadership may be assuming legal liability for actions of members. Those assuming risk have to be in a position to control their risk by setting rules.)

  • Seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and the reality of those around us, as well as participation in society.

Be Mindful of People's Privacy

  • Be mindful of security and privacy considerations. Do not share sensitive data (see the ICRC Professional Standards on Protection Work).

  • Follow verification and security guidelines for mapping – do not publish dangerous speech, personal names, and personal identifying information (guidelines to be determined).

  • Ushahidi adheres to and is compliant with GDPR. You can find out more about our GDPR compliance in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Committing to Self-Improvement

None of us are perfect: all of us from time to time will fail to live up to our very high standards. What matters isn’t having a perfect track record, but owning up to your mistakes and committing to a clear and persistent effort to improve.If you are approached as having (consciously or otherwise) acted in a way that might make your teammates feel unwelcome, listen with an open mind and avoid becoming defensive. Remember that if someone offers you feedback, it likely took a great deal of courage for them to do so. The best way to respect that courage is to acknowledge your mistake, apologize, and move on β€” with a renewed commitment to do better.

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