Safety, Consent and Inclusion (SCI) Policy

The swing dancing community is a friendly and fun space and group of people. However, as in the rest of society, inappropriate and abusive behaviours can occur. We are not immune to it, but we can do something about it!

As with any social situation among adults, we cannot monitor every person's actions, nor can we promise that every person will behave appropriately at all times. However, our organisation is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable experience for everyone, and this is only possible with your help and cooperation.

If you participate in our Friday night dance (and all other events OSDS may organize), we ask that you respect the values below. Dance attendees, volunteers, DJs, musicians, teachers, and organizers violating these values may be warned, sanctioned, or expelled from the dance, without a refund, or banned from future dances, at our discretion. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact osds.safety.committee@gmail.com.

If you would like to file an anonymous incident report, click here.

Values

Have fun

• Ask as many people as you’d like to dance! If they refuse, be gracious; it is their right to say no, and yours too.

• Dancing can be a sensual activity, and flirtation can occur, at our dances or after. However, do not use our event as a pickup joint and be attentive to the reaction to your flirtation. It’s your responsibility to not make others feel uncomfortable. Ask for and respect consent, always.

Take care of each other

• We are dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable experience for everyone regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, dis/ability, body size, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), nationality, dance skill level or dance role. We expect you to help.

• We are specifically dedicated to fostering a community free from oppression, harassment, abuse, and violence. See the Protocol of intervention for concrete examples and definitions of problematic behaviour that go against our values.

• Be attentive to your dance partner and their comfort, boundaries, and safety. If you are not sure, ask them if they are ok. Apologise if you accidentally touch an area of the body that is private, sexual, or just totally out of the realm of legitimate holds or moves of the dance.

• If someone tells you that you have hurt them, that they feel uncomfortable or that they are worried that something you are doing might hurt them or others, don’t take it badly. They are telling you something about their comfort level, which is different for everyone; they are not criticizing you as a person. They are telling you because they want you to fix it so they can keep dancing with you. So listen to them, apologize, thank them for letting you know and don’t do it again.

Be inclusive

• Some people follow, some people lead, and some people do both; keep that in mind and respect their choice. 

• Be aware that some people use gender neutral pronouns. If someone asks you to refer to them with specific pronouns, respect that and use those.

• Be mindful of the language you use - at our event and on our online media - and how it might affect others. Everyone has different experiences that shape their relationship and reactions to language.

Be safe

• Scented products can cause serious allergic reactions and respiratory distress. Please refrain from using and wearing scented products at our dances as much as possible.

• Be attentive to people around you. Be mindful of how much space you have, if someone is behind you as you kick or rock-step, and where you are sending your dance partner. Apologise if you bump another person or step on someone’s foot. This is called floorcraft.

• Never do aerials/acrobatics on the social dance floor. You can do them in jam circles if there is enough space, if you have the consent of your dance partner, and if you have mastered them with a lot of practice with spotters beforehand.

• OSDS is a dry environment; no alcohol or drugs at the dance, and do not show up high/intoxicated.

Reflect on yourself

Reflect on your behaviour, how it might affect others, and how you could improve in order to make the scene (and beyond) a safer place. Be open and receptive when someone tells you that they feel uncomfortable despite your best efforts. Everyone has a different level of comfort: listen to your dance partners and your fellow community members and respect their boundaries, identities, and choices. Be the best person you can be. 

Who to talk to

In order to foster a real culture change in our swing community (and beyond), the mutual commitment of all participants to introspection and solidarity in the face of problematic behaviour is essential. The SCI volunteers, committee and the OSDS exec are here to help.

The SCI volunteers will be wearing red sashes at the event. If you cannot find a volunteer right away, find a member of the executive, or go to the front desk and they will find one for you.

Prefer to get in touch with us via email? Please do so at osds.safety.committee@gmail.com.

SCI volunteers

This is a group of people offering to listen to and support participants who need it. They have had training and are comfortable with intervening to defuse tensions and manage conflicts, initiating dialogue and mediation when the situation is appropriate and/or intervening with people who have problematic behaviour. 

SCI committee

The SCI committee is a subset of the SCI volunteers. It has the mandate of addressing grave, repeated or unresolved complaints, overseeing the general application of the SCI policy, and strategizing to make our dance a safer space.

Protocol of intervention

The SCI volunteers and committee will be using this Protocol of intervention to respond to any complaints we receive. We will treat these issues with the strictest confidentiality. We hope to create an event, community and culture in which everyone will feel safe enough to come forward, so we can keep incidents from being repeated and, eventually, from happening in the first place.

SCI people are available for discussion and reassurance, not just formal reports.

Don’t wonder if something is “serious enough” to come talk to us - if you are uncomfortable, let us know.

We’re here for you!