Appendix 3: Sample Community Agreement

This agreement was developed by the BCC python study groups pilot phase coordinators. It was modeled (roughly) on the Aorta Collective’s “Anti-Oppressive Facilitation for Democratic Process Community Agreement.” It is published here with permission from the authors. The Right-sized Agreements includes a story about how this agreement was implemented.

Python Study Group
Community Agreement Template

• Collective effort, individual responsibility. Everyone learns at different paces and in different ways. With the understanding that ‘no one knows everything – together we know a lot’, we commit to supporting one another as we work toward our shared goal of improving our technical skills. We contribute to this effort by checking in with team members to ensure that no one feels ‘lost’, and by being mindful of how our individual actions contribute to the group’s success. For example, being mindful of not dominating the conversation or giving advance notice to the group if we have not completed an assignment or cannot make a meeting.
• One goal, many solutions. There are many different approaches to a problem and oftentimes there is no single ‘correct’ answer. If a solution works, it is valid. We do not discourage alternate implementations or round-a-bout methods, even if there is a more elegant, efficient, or widely used approach.
• Create a welcoming space. Learning is difficult when participants do not feel comfortable, welcomed, heard, or accepted. We create a safe space for team members by engaging in respectful communication and being supportive of one another’s needs. We do this by using technical tools like the raise-hand feature on Zoom and facilitation strategies like progressive stacking and consensus decision-making to ensure that only one person speaks at a time and that no one is dominating the conversation. We also follow the BCC Code of Conduct. Conducting regular temperature checks gives everyone a chance to weigh in or review before moving on to new materials, and allows team members to be open about their needs.