Healthy and Safe Community Interactions Agreement
In alignment with USCL’s core values, the intention of this spiritual community is to foster a healthy and safe space for everyone.
As a member of USCL, I commit to our community agreement to treat everyone with respect.
I seek to be kind, self-aware, collaborative, quick to listen and slow to judge. I commit to co-create healthy and safe interactions within our community by:
- Respecting that a variety of opinions and conflict is a normal part of life.
- Being willing to see the need behind the conflict as opposed to becoming polarized into differences (Nonviolent communication). And,
- Defaulting to prayer to open my ears, to release any need to be right, and to discover the path of peace and kindness for all concerned
PROCEDURE FOR RESPONDING TO SITUATIONS WHERE THIS AGREEMENT IS BROKEN
(This is not included in the bylaws. It is inserted here solely for easy reference)
Knowing that our humanness may at times lead us into unskilled and unloving behavior as well as perceived unskilled, unloving behavior, USCL has created a “Restorative Listening Team” to create a safe space to heal the unmet needs.
This team will consist of the minister and members trained in non-violent communication. Members of this team will create and hold a safe space for stories to be told without judgment and provide empathy for healing.
Should an incident in which words or actions are perceived to be unsafe, we agree to take the following actions
a. When someone brings up an issue to the minister or a Board of Trustee member with an agreement not being met, we ask that person to come into a Restorative Circle, which may be the with one or more Restorative Team members to voice their concerns.
b. The Restorative team asks for observations, feelings, and needs. Members of the Restorative team listen and give empathy. The Restorative Team members use non-violent communication skills to verbalize back to the individual, observations and the needs that were unmet.
c. The other party that was named for breaking an agreement is then brought into a separate Restorative circle and goes through the same process.
d. Recommended Option: The agreements of respect are reaffirmed and signed by both parties
e. Either or both parties are encouraged to participate in further healing as in one-on-one empathy, coaching, therapy, prayer, etc.
f. If both parties are willing and able to, they may attend a third Restorative Circle together to hear each other’s side and give empathy to each other.