Code of Care

The following Code of Care describes how we expect all members to show up in the CoDesignCo Alumni community with respect, compassion and integrity.

This set of four commitments was inspired by those of the Co-design Club and Co-Design Bootcamp/Practitioners, grounded in Design Justice Principles, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and decolonising and trauma-informed practices.

Community members are welcome to make suggestions on additions or improvements (please email them to hello@emmablomkamp.com).

Last updated: 24 April 2024.

1. We express ourselves and support each other in inclusive ways

We hold space for difference, including from lived experience, understanding that each of us is coming from a different place and that we don't know everything about each other.

We acknowledge and validate each other’s different perspectives and experiences. We don’t challenge each other's identities, including ethnicity, gender and sexual expression. We use someone's chosen pronouns when referring to them. We modify our language, approach or behaviour when requested to make something more accessible or inclusive for all.

We avoid generalisations as much as possible by anchoring perspectives in direct experience or personal observation. It should go without saying, but to be clear: racist, homophobic, transphobic and ableist comments or behaviour are not tolerated. 

2. We share and attribute with care and respect

Our community is kept alive through shared contributions. We appreciate and support members taking initiative and generously offering time, events and resources to others.

We encourage reciprocity. Community members may promote their work through this network, but we will not accept the use of this platform for solely profit-driven activities.

We balance respect for intellectual property and privacy. If we use someone’s words, ideas or work outside of the community, we attribute it fairly. If something is shared confidentially, we keep it that way.

3. We seek to address systemic injustices and power imbalances

We acknowledge that mainstream design has been dominated by a focus on Anglo-European and patriarchal ways of seeing, knowing and acting in the world, and are committed to examining the unquestioned assumptions about the nature of our practices.

We recognise that social and ecological injustices are interconnected. We acknowledge and respect the traditions and lands on which our work is based.

We will not accept use of the community for amplifying climate injustices (e.g. we do not give space to discussions related to using design to increase fossil fuel extraction). Nor do we permit or promote cultural appropriation.

4. We are gentle and generous with each other

We may be critical of harmful systems and approaches, but we are gentle with individuals within them. We challenge each other with care, making it constructive and not personal, to expand our learning and share different perspectives and understanding.

Everyone has something to learn and something to share. We are not here to be competitive or compare ourselves. In community spaces, we listen deeply and participate with respect and patience.

Breaking the commitments

If someone transgresses this code of care, the first step is for the person who notices it to say something. If it's safe to do so, this could be a private conversation between two or more community members, who can come to an agreement about the best way to address the issue.

If the person who notices the transgression doesn't feel comfortable doing this, or an agreement is not reached, they can raise this with the Convenor.

The Convenor may choose to exclude a member from the community if there are concerns that their words or actions are negatively affecting other members.