COAR Discussion Guidelines

We ask all participants to abide by COAR's Discussion Guidelines to ensure everyone feels safe, respected, and supported as we learn together.

WE ARE A LEARNING COMMUNITY

We are all here to learn and to grow as individuals and as parents, educators, and community members. We recognize and respect that everyone is at different points in their journeys. As we strive to have brave and courageous conversations with one another, we acknowledge that at times we may fail to get our perspective across appropriately or we may make a comment that inadvertently causes someone else pain. We hope to be open and honest with each other in these moments, so that we can all learn and grow more deeply.  We try to assume best intentions and give one another grace in our conversations.  At the same time, we believe it's important to acknowledge our mistakes, recognizing and owning their impact.  By showing compassion to one another and respecting various perspectives, we give space for everyone to share in this journey without judgment.

CONFIDENTIALITY

This is a safe space for individuals to share their stories, perspectives and ideas. When discussing scenarios that involve people outside of one’s own family, we respect their privacy by not identifying names.  What we talk about in the group stays in the group. In situations where ideas warrant sharing outside of the group, any information discussed externally should remain focused on the ideas shared with no names attached.

WE PRESENT OURSELVES INDIVIDUALLY

Anyone who attends COAR meetings does so as a member of our communities and not as a representative of their employer. Any experiences, views and/or opinions expressed are of the individual and not the institution that employs them.

WE OWN OUR BACKPACKS

As we engage in these conversations we recognize that we come with our own unique experiences and perspectives, both in terms of race and class. We may come with privilege afforded to us because of the color of our skin and/or the community in which we live. We recognize this privilege and use it as an opportunity to have these courageous conversations, educate ourselves and take action.

FOCUS ON SELF

We are all here to learn and grow together and it is important to use “I” statements when sharing ideas, perspective and opinions. We value the opportunity for each individual to self-identify when he/she chooses, and not for any other group member to do it for them.

SHARE THE AIR TIME

Know when to step-up and step-back. It is important to allow anyone who wants to participate in the discussion the opportunity to do so. Some of us are extroverts who like to think out-loud and may need to step-back at times during the conversation. Others of us are more introverted who like to gather thoughts before speaking up, but may need to step-up to ensure our perspective and thoughts are heard.  We are all respectful of these different styles of participation.

PARKING LOT

The facilitators reserve the right to identify topics for discussion that may need to sit in the “parking lot” based on the time constraints of the evening, the purpose of the discussion and the appropriateness of the topic to the particular meeting’s agenda.