Community guidelines are a set of principles, agreements or rules, that clearly communicate how individuals are encouraged and/or required to behave as members and participants of a space and/or community. When practiced, these guiding principles cultivate an inclusive culture of belonging, and prioritize the safety and well-being needs of members and participants. Without clear community guidelines, there are no agreed upon values and agreements between individuals, making it difficult for staff and members/participants to navigate challenging circumstances, uphold a culture of care and practice compassionate accountability.

The following set of values and guidelines were informed by three months of design research and a community design session held on September 17, 2021.

Coral is an inclusion-driven community and coworking space designed to serve as a “third place” for Toronto’s tech community. Our community guidelines are a set of principles and social agreements that allow us to create safer spaces and experiences where members, participants and guests can feel a sense of belonging.

What’s a “third place”? In community building, the third place is the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place").

VALUES

• Inclusion

  • We value inclusion. We practice this value by being thoughtful and intentional about how every aspect of our space and community is designed. We create space and experiences with and for our community, and we strive to centre the voices of folks from marginalized groups.

• Safety

  • We value physical, psychological and emotional safety. We embody this value by asking about your needs, listening to your concerns, implementing your feedback, and communicating a clear set of community guidelines to ensure our space and experiences prioritize the well-being of our members.

• Access

  • We value accessibility, whether that be physical, financial or any other type. We embody this value by ensuring our building has elevators, ramps and gender-inclusive facilities, as well as by asking members to keep our space pet-free and scent-free, and to be mindful of sensory sensitive folks. We provide private spaces for folks who need to feed their children, as well as folks who require privacy for prayers or some time alone. For applicants who would benefit from financial support, we offer a number of subsidized memberships with priority given to those who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Colour.

• Accountability

  • We value compassionate accountability. We embody this by providing a clear set of guidelines for how members and guests are encouraged and/or required to behave in our space and community. We actively ask for and implement feedback, and offer open lines of communication for folks to share their concerns with our team.

• Respect

  • We value respect and clear boundaries. We embody this value by creating and encouraging an ‘opt-in’ culture, where participation and engagement are consensual and voluntary, and in alignment with every individual’s need and desire for connection and contribution. We ensure that your confidential information is never shared, and that your feedback remains anonymous unless you have requested or given us permission to share your identity. Things you share confidentiality with staff will not be shared with others without your explicit permission.

• Thoughtfulness

  • We value thoughtfulness and kindness. We embody this by ensuring that things that matter to you, matter to us. We are committed to welcoming you and your guests into our space, learning and using the correct pronunciation of your name and your pronouns, and ensuring that what we offer, such as events, activities, food and beverages and the holidays we celebrate, are inclusive and considerate of your culture, practices and personal needs.

• Growth

  • We value growth and continuous (un)learning. We embody this by asking for and implementing your feedback, being open to new ideas and new ways of doing things, and being flexible as your life/work circumstances change. We host events and experiences focused on topics that are relevant to you, and whenever possible, we create space for intentional peer-to-peer learning and support.

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Inclusion & Respect

We have intentionally created a space that prioritizes inclusion, diversity and accessibility. A space where all of our members and participants can feel welcome and empowered to be themselves, without judgement. We want our members to embody our inclusion-centred values, and to collaboratively uphold a culture of care, through respectful use of the space, and meaningful interactions with other members, as well as staff, which honour and validate the diversity of our lived experiences.

Safety & Belonging