To maintain a positive, organized, and welcoming community, we have established clear guidelines for participation. This page is your hub for all community policies and documentation.
Looking for our formal policies? Safety, data, conduct, and the rest now live in the policies folder, the set you agree to by taking part. The links below point there. Day-to-day operational rules (WhatsApp, events, language, partnerships) stay here in the rules folder.
Policies & Rules
🤝 Community Conduct
How we treat each other in Keep Calm:
- Respect and inclusion standards
- Anti-harassment and discrimination policy
- Advertising and self-promotion policy
- Photography and privacy guidelines
- Conflict resolution process
- Serious issues and reporting
🌍 Language Policy
Our approach to languages in Keep Calm:
- English in WhatsApp groups
- Flexible in person (English, Spanish, Catalan all fine)
- Private communication is up to you
- Why we use English as our common language
📱 WhatsApp Rules
Guidelines for communication in our WhatsApp groups:
- General etiquette
- What to post and what to avoid
- RSVP and poll guidelines
- Weather-related communication
- Consequences for violations
🎯 Event Rules
Policies for event participation:
- Commitment and showing up
- Cancellation procedures
- Payment responsibilities
- The Wall of Shame and strike system
- Weather policies
- Skill level honesty
⚠️ Safety & Liability
Understanding risk and responsibility:
- Participate at your own risk
- Age requirement: 18+ (adults only)
- Your responsibilities before and during activities
- Injury and emergency procedures
- Sport-specific safety considerations
- Insurance and liability boundaries
🔒 Data & Privacy
How we handle your information:
- What data we collect and why
- Photography and social media use
- Your GDPR rights
- Third-party services we use
- How to request data changes
🤝 Partnerships & Reciprocity
How we handle relationships and expectations:
- What volunteers and organisers receive
- External community partnerships
- Commercial vs non-commercial boundaries
- Handling reciprocity expectations
🚉 Organising in the Open
Why activities need to be planned in the Keep Calm group, not a private one:
- The problem with niches splintering off into private groups
- The simple rule: plan in the open, take logistics private
- What happens if a group keeps organising outside Keep Calm
Governance
🏛️ Decision Making
How decisions are made in Keep Calm:
- Decision levels (individual → sport → community → foundational)
- Who has authority over what
- How to propose changes
- Handling disagreements and appeals
- Core team responsibilities
📋 Role Descriptions
Community roles and what they involve:
- Core Team Member
- Sport Lead
- Session Host
- Booker
- Beginner Ambassador
- Social Media Coordinator
- Event Organiser
Getting Started & Operations
👋 New Member Welcome
Everything new members need to know:
- How to join your first session
- What each sport offers
- Tips for your first time
- Making friends in the community
- Getting involved
📖 Organiser Guide
For current and prospective organisers:
- What being an organiser means
- The weekly cycle
- Core responsibilities
- Communication guidelines
- Handling problems
- Handover process
👥 Organisers
Current volunteer organisers by sport and their responsibilities.
Quick Summary
The Essentials
- Be respectful - Treat all members with kindness, patience, and inclusion
- Show up - If you commit, honor that commitment
- Communicate - Give notice if you can't make it
- Be positive - Keep the vibe friendly and welcoming
- Follow through - Pay your share, help find replacements, be reliable
- No advertising - This is a non-commercial community, not a marketing channel
- Respect privacy - Ask before photographing, don't share personal info
- Play safe - You participate at your own risk
- Be 18+ - Keep Calm is an adults-only community
Zero Tolerance
- Harassment, discrimination, or bullying
- Threatening or aggressive behaviour
- Making others feel unsafe
The Consequences
- 3-strike system: Violations result in warnings, then restrictions, then removal
- Wall of Shame: We track rule violations and no-shows
- Immediate removal: Serious conduct violations may skip the strike system
Why We Have Rules
These rules exist to:
- Ensure everyone feels welcome, respected, and safe
- Protect the experience for all members
- Ensure events run smoothly and fairly
- Maintain good relationships with venues
- Keep the community positive and non-commercial
- Hold everyone to the same standards
- Create a culture people want to be part of
Questions?
If you have questions about the rules or need clarification:
- Read the detailed documents linked above
- Check with your sport organiser (see Organisers.md)
- Ask in your WhatsApp group if appropriate
- For governance questions, see Decision-Making.md
Community Vision
For the bigger picture of where Keep Calm is heading, see VISION.md.
Thanks for being part of Keep Calm and for helping us maintain a great community!