Community Agreement Template

Via Heidi Taylor of Playwrights Theatre Centre

As a community of learners, aware of intersections in privilege and experience, we agree to bring respect and good faith to our conversations. We have made the following community agreement to create a space that allows for risk–taking in our conversations by building trust and respect.

  1. We will respect each other's time. We will be ready to work at our agreed–upon schedule and communicate conflicts with that schedule as soon as they are known.
  2. We will let people finish their thoughts. It's okay to get passionate, but we will make space for each other.
  3. We will give everyone a chance to speak or pass on a subject before we have second rounds.
  4. If we feel triggered while someone else is talking, we will wait until that person is finished speaking before describing the source of our trigger and what we need to stay in the conversation.
  5. We acknowledge that our conversations are going into deep territory, so we respect each person's need to take care of themselves.
  6. We agree to keep the content and the process in the room.
  7. We consider this a dialogue where there is not a right or a wrong.
  8. We can get up on our feet, move around, take breaks as individuals when we need to.
  9. We can communicate our needs and ideas to each other in person during the sessions or by email outside of the sessions.
  10. We strive to share language that respects everyone. We will listen if someone has alternative language to share and offer alternatives to ableist, sexist, homophobic, racist, classist or othering language in a spirit of collaboration.
  11. We share values of collaboration and risk.
  12. Our feedback will be artist–directed. We will ask before we give.