MEETING ATTENDEES: Johan Foley, Min Tha Gyaw, Ed Cable, Warren Carew, Sridevi Miriyala, Innocent Kawooya, Jane Stroucken, Simeon Oriko, Megan Skinner, Megan Cannon, Sam Kummary, James Bush, Paula Hunter, Dawn Pereira
1.0 WELCOME, ROLL CALL, AGENDA REVIEW
Simeon welcomed the group and reviewed the agenda.
2.0 APPROVAL OF 7 AUGUST MINUTES
Simeon reviewed the minutes for the 7 August meeting. There were no objections, and the minutes were approved as presented.
3.0 COMMUNITY REPORT
The issue of toxicity in the community was addressed, with a focus on how certain communication styles can create a toxic atmosphere and disrupt conversations. Paula, who played a pivotal role in creating the Code of Conduct during the launch of the Mojaloop Foundation, discussed the document's origin along with its relevance in creating an environment where competitors can collaborate effectively. The principle of being considerate and respectful towards one another was highlighted as a fundamental aspect of the Code of Conduct and it was emphasized that the ideal scenario is to create an environment where enforcement of the Code of Conduct is not required.
Simeon reviewed the community report that was filed on 12 September 2023 and verified that a subsequent inquiry was conducted with the report filer to acquire the identities of the individuals mentioned in the report.
The Community Council will review the Code of Conduct and update the enforcement language. Once finalized, the Community Council will determine the most appropriate course of action.
4.0 CODE OF CONDUCT UPDATE
Simeon reviewed the Mojaloop Code of Conduct, which is referenced on Community Central and at https://docs.mojaloop.io/community/contributing/code-of-conduct.html. At the time of its inception, there was no need to incorporate enforcement language into the Code of Conduct. Nevertheless, considering the recent report, it is now necessary to formulate the relevant language to define the code's enforcement procedures.
Simeon stated that he has reviewed enforcement language used by similar organizations (Mozilla Example: https://github.com/mozilla/inclusion/blob/master/code-of-conduct-enforcement/consequence-ladder.md) and has drafted Code of Conduct enforcement language for the Community Council’s consideration. Simeon emphasized that it is the Community Council's responsibility to clarify and uphold our values and the standards of acceptable conduct.
The Community Council discussed the document in detail:
- Simeon explained that the primary method for enforcement of temporary or permanent bans is to block access to tools and community meetings.
- A step-by-step approach was suggested with the possibility of skipping warnings in extreme cases (similar to Mozilla).
- The need for transparency was emphasized by suggesting that individuals accused should be provided with an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
- The importance of having a neutral arbitration body was highlighted. Simeon proposed forming a sub-committee on a case-by-case basis.
- A concern was addressed that banning individuals might escalate toxicity in the community. Simeon stressed the importance of maintaining a balance and ensuring a fair approach to addressing these concerns.
Simeon proposed that the Community Council review the Code of Conduct enforcement language and provide comments by Friday 22 September. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled for Monday 25 September to address comments, vote on the enforcement language, and discuss how to handle the report that was filed.
5.0 WORKSTREAM GUIDELINES
Due to time restraints, this agenda item was not discussed. We will revisit this topic in an upcoming Community Council meeting.
Action Items
- Community Council to review the Code of Conduct enforcement language and provide comments by Friday 22 September.
6.0 AOB
The following announcements were made:
- The Mojaloop Community Annual Survey was sent out today. Simeon encouraged the group to prompt community members to complete it.
- Call for sessions is open. Workstream leads are required to submit a session and the Community Council is also invited to propose sessions.
- Preparations for elections are underway and will be presented to the Community Council before the Community Meeting.
7.0 ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 9:58 AM ET.
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