last updated 24/11/2022
campfire is not your usual community. it is intentionally designed to be safe and foster authentic connection.
we're building a safe space you can access from anywhere to feel a sense of belonging, grow as a human being, and positively impact the world.
we've written these guidelines with our members to describe what we welcome and where we place our boundaries, for now.
✊ what we stand for
we are curious. we are loving. we are unconventional. and this is how we aspire to live curiously ever after...
we are a diverse crowd from all walks of life with varied views and opinions. we see diversity as a strength, inclusion as the way to go, and exclusivity as a necessary evil. we vet new members to protect diversity and encourage genuine and judgement-free discussions.
we're actively inclusive in our communication and challenge all forms of offensive or unwelcome comments and behaviours. we navigate disagreements and differences by being kind and respectful.
we are sex-positive but not sex-focused. we connect people who get what's behind this key distinction.
we seek organic connections that spark from conversation-focused group experiences where we're kind to each other and observe a friendship-first approach, curious and loving with all.
we agree that consent can be tricky, but especially sexy so we keep it in check so that all of us hold the power over our own accessibility and nurture meaningful and comfortable interactions. as members of the community, we technically have access to direct message (dm) every member. we do not dm other members without their consent and/or meaninglessly.
we value consent-based interactions at all levels. we follow an "ask first" basis not only when direct messaging but also when sharing images of ourselves or other people, reaching out on social media, etc.
we're not afraid to put ourselves out there by authentically representing who we are.
we take an active part in co-creating and cultivating a trust-based environment that we all cherish and want to see flourish. to help achieve that, we recommend that our profiles have:
- our face pic as a profile picture,
- our first name in the First Name field,
- our pronouns in the Last Name field.
we hold a space where we seek to learn from each other and grow together. we want to be the place one can have conversations they could not have elsewhere.
we are committed to contributing constructively because the more we do, the more all of us get out of campfire.
we know how it feels to be a bit hesitant to share and want all of us to feel comfortable sharing generously. we listen and read attentively, don't judge or shame, show empathy, gratitude, push each other forward, and lift each other up.
we are well aware that our questions, stories, and experiences may be exactly what another member needs to hear.
we acknowledge that words hold power and we strive to be mindful of how we use that power in our interactions.
we recognize that misunderstandings happen and hold the space for each of us to make it known if they've been hurt or offended by someone else's words.
we are here to grow together and at our own individual pace, embracing who we are, quirks and all.
we leave no space for judgment, we approach difference as a practice for communication and want all of us to be comfortable to be our authentic selves.
we celebrate each other, we encourage each other to embrace their weirdness and we nurture a positive space where humour and gentleness are the best lubricants to rich and beautiful conversations where being vulnerable makes us stronger.
we do speak about campfire to non-members, from our own experience.
our membership is private and Chatham House rules apply: "participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s)/author(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed".
we don't give access to our private content or events to non-members unless we're explicitly encouraged to.
we are not products, campfire is not in the business of eyeballs.
we take ownership of how we treat and care for everyone and everything campfire.
we are determined to break out from toxic cultures and have a zero-tolerance policy for any comment or behaviour that is disrespectful, discriminatory, threatening or harassing.
we strive to speak up when necessary and listen with a growth mindset when being called in.
the campfire team always prioritizes people's safety over all else. we are working relentlessly to hold a welcoming, safe space that allows stress-free enriching conversations. for this to happen, we need members and visitors to also take it upon themselves to speak up about anything they find uncomfortable, harmful, or threatening to the safety of the community. if anything happens that leaves you feeling uncomfortable, uneasy, or distressed — no matter how minor you perceive it to be, please speak up. read below for more details.
🙅 where we draw the line
as different acts of transgression demand different outcomes and levels of accountability. we set in place two different levels of transgressions ordered on an ascending scale according to their severity and how much tolerance we can afford for it happening within our community.
level 1 transgressions
- making one-time comments during the group chats or in the DMs that can be perceived as uncomfortable to other people (e.g. statements that are considered racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic, etc.).
- sending an unsolicited direct message that doesn't include any explicit or suggestive content and doesn't cause the recipient distress or discomfort.
- advertising personal business, other products and services, or promo codes that haven't been approved by the team.
- sharing false information, without an intention to incite hate on individuals or groups.
- contacting members for commercial purposes without their consent.
- unintentionally violating intellectual property.
level 2 transgressions
this includes engaging in, promoting, or expressing hateful or discriminatory behaviour that attacks, threatens, stigmatizes, dehumanizes, or incites hate against an individual or a group based on their:
- ethnicity.
- gender expression.
- gender identity.
- sexuality.
- religion.
- mental or physical Disability.
- immigration status.
- body type.
- physical appearance.
- neuro(a)typicality.
- lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment.
this includes:
- sharing statements that mock, humiliate, embarrass, intimidate, or hurt a fellow member both privately and publicly.
- attempting to contact a member after consent has been withdrawn or explicit refusal has been expressed.
- cyberstalking members on social media and contacting them without asking for consent.
- threatening to dox another member and/or non-consensually sharing their information publicly.
- spam messaging members.
this consists of unwanted or inappropriate sexual behaviour directed at another individual, including comments or advances, that sexually harasses others, regardless of intentions, and includes:
- making sexual advances towards a member who has not given explicit consent to engage.
- sending unsolicited direct messages including explicit or suggestive content that causes discomfort to the recipient.
- attempting to coerce a member into indulging in sexual activities.
- sexualizing fellow members without their consent.
- making comments that disparage another member's sexuality.
- revealing, or threatening to reveal, a person's private sexual life beyond what they agreed to.
- sharing nude images of other individuals without their consent.
- exposing, or threatening to expose, a person's sexual orientation without their consent or knowledge.
in the case of a member getting reported on alleged or confirmed abusive behaviour against individuals inside or outside the community, we reserve the right to suspend temporarily or permanently their membership.
📢 how we keep campfire safe
here are a few steps to take if you ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable on campfire.
⚠️ remember one important thing
we know how hard it is to speak up and we thank you for doing so. whatever you are contacting us about, you are doing an act of care towards our community and we thank you. there are no light transgressions, your speaking up may reveal a pattern of abuse.
🏕️contact the campfire team
you can report any conduct that does not align with our Community Guidelines or that you think should not happen at campfire (always happy to update this document) to the campfire team through this form.
step 1/ you will be asked whether you want your report to the team to be anonymous or not. if you choose to keep your identity known, you will be asked to provide your name and email.
→ in the second option, your identity will still be kept secret from the person you're speaking up about.
step 2/ you will be asked how you want the team to deal with the report, there are three options:
- i want you to know that this happened for the record.
- i want the person to know that this is not OK.
- i want the team to discuss revoking this person's membership or access.
step 3/ you will be asked to provide the details of the action(s) perceived to infringe upon our community guidelines (with examples if existing) and their profile link/username.
the campfire team acknowledges and reviews your report to categorize it. the way it will be dealt with depends on the level of the transgression.
in the case of a level 1 transgression
based on how you want the team to deal with the situation and the history of the person you're reporting, the campfire team can:
- retain the information,
- contact the person whose behaviour has been reported with a warning,
- revoke the membership or access of the person whose behaviour has been reported if they have already been reported for a level 1 transgression of any category.
In the case of a level 2 transgression
we are determined to break out from toxic cultures and have a zero-tolerance policy for any of the actions stated above. the person whose behaviour has been reported may be contacted about their membership or access being immediately revoked. the person who reported retains the right to remain anonymous. if dissatisfied with the decision to suspend the membership or access, an appeal can be made and a committee of independent members will be formed to deal with it at a collective level.
if your behaviour has been reported
- your membership or access may be suspended while we contact you to resolve the situation with or without notice.
- suspension may limit your ability to access campfire.
- suspension may be either temporary or indefinite.
this is a living document subject to refinement and expansion in the future. direct message us @teamcampfire or email imane@campfireapp.co if you would like to help us improve it.