Community Agreements
Community Agreements
How We Engage With Each Other
RVA Death Collaborative Guidelines for Community Conduct
The mission of the RVA Death Collaborative is to improve the end-of-life experience for the terminally ill and the dying, their caregivers, the bereaved and the community at large in the greater Richmond, Virginia area through mutual aid by:
- Building a network of community volunteers to provide timely, personalized support for those in need.
- Hosting educational events in partnership with the community to raise awareness, spark conversations, and reduce stigma around death.
- Creating a comprehensive resource guide for the bereaved, those facing the end of life, and the greater community.
In furtherance of our mission, we intend to foster connection and create spaces where participants feel safe to ask for and offer support to one another.
Each collaborator commits to the following guidelines:
- We value the perspectives and lived experience of all collaborators and community members. We value everyone's voice equally, respecting each individual’s right to their own cultural, spiritual, and traditional practices. We welcome all identities, family structures, and socioeconomic backgrounds and strive to function without bias. We work to identify our biases and address them.
- We proactively take steps to avoid causing harm. We do not engage in or tolerate violence, bullying, harassment, or degrading comments. We do not espouse or condone ableist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise bigoted language, rhetoric, or behavior. We are aware of the heavy emotional loads we may encounter and work to develop self-care practice and to seek help when we need it. Collaborators are under no obligation to participate in the Collaborative, to enter spaces they deem unsafe or to have continued relationships with anyone who has harmed them.
- We proactively speak up for and create welcoming spaces for each other. We practice inclusivity and cultural humility by respecting each other’s stated names, identities, pronouns, beliefs, and lived experiences.
- We keep each other’s information confidential. We keep personal stories and family details shared within the group strictly private, unless permission is given to share. The content of anything we post, say, or otherwise share is relevant to the purpose of the group. If participants in the Collaborative suspect neglect or abuse, they are expected to immediately report their concerns to the Steering Committee or go directly to the Virginia Department of Social Services, www.dss.virginia.gov, depending on their licensure status and/or mandate to report.
- We practice affirmative consent. We ask permission before making any physical contact, before offering advice, and before raising topics that may be triggering. We do not take or share photos or videos without permission.
- We practice open communication. We interact with each other and the community with curiosity rather than assumption. We listen with the intent to learn from each other, without interrupting. We balance active participation with holding space so quieter members can speak. We practice accountability by addressing interpersonal friction and/or harm directly, kindly, and early through agreed-upon conflict resolution steps. We speak from personal experience, using "I" statements, avoiding speaking for others, and sharing our stories with permission and with care.
- We do not proselytize, campaign, or advertise for any particular dogma, religion, party, or candidate. We do not use this forum to advertise or solicit business for our products or services or those of others. Members responding to an alert to need of care will do so as volunteers. If a business/service is contacted by a community member, they should be paid. Explicit, written documentation of fees should be presented and discussed in advance of any paid services.
- We engage ethically online. We do not share AI-generated or misappropriated content. All words and images we share are created by us, not using generative AI or others’ work or ideas without permission and attribution. Moderators may remove posts that are inflammatory, unrelated to the purpose of the group, or in violation of the Guidelines. Moderators will intervene and seek clarification if harm is alleged and may remove anyone, virtually and in-person, at their discretion.
Any Collaborative participant may raise a perceived violation of these Guidelines and request that violating behavior be ceased and any harm addressed. If a Collaborative participant violates the Guidelines and refuses to cease the violating behavior or to address harm, such participant will be denied future participation with the Collaborative.
The RVA Death Collaborative intends to review, revise, and reaffirm the Guidelines on a regular basis. Gatherings of the Collaborative will begin with a review of these expectations and agreement by those gathered. The Collaborative has a volunteer steering committee member dedicated to updating the Guidelines and to fielding collaborator/community feedback. Please communicate any concerns, by email, to RVADeathCollaborative@gmail.com.
More detailed Operational Guidelines are being developed, with a focus on processes for conflict resolution, conduct, reporting, and enforcement.
This is a work in progress. Your thoughts are welcome!
Written with care,
By and for RVA Death Collaborative participants