EDAM’s Safety, Consent, and Inclusion Policy

Updated November 27, 2020

Activities and events at EDAM are attended by a wonderful community of people. However, as in the rest of society, it is possible someone might choose to participate who acts with inappropriate and/or abusive behaviour. We will counteract that behaviour.

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. EDAM is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment for everyone. This is only possible with participant help and cooperation. If you participate in any of our classes, workshops, JAMs or other events hosted by EDAM, we ask that you respect our goals and values below. Any participant who violates these values may be warned, sanctioned, or expelled from our activities, without a refund, or banned from future events, at our discretion.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our policies, please contact info@edamdance.org . If you would like to file an anonymous incident report, click here.

Our Goals

● To create an environment where everyone feels safe from oppression, harassment, abuse, and violence.

● To make it clear to participants that we take safety and freedom from oppression seriously.

● To respond openly and appropriately when people report oppression, harassment, or violence.

● To give those behaving in an oppressive, harassing, or unwelcome manner a chance to understand the problem and change their behavior. (This may not always be possible in the case of multiple/repeat and egregious incidents.)

● To build a culture of safety, respect, equality, and dignity. This means: We treat each other with respect and consider it our responsibility to avoid behaviours that result in others feeling unsafe or oppressed.

●  People are encouraged to protect their own boundaries and to do something when boundaries are violated – whether that means telling an EDAM teacher or staff member, a classmate, a friend, or talking to the person who violated the boundaries.

● We protect the values of equality, dignity, and safety, and help keep the CI community free of oppression, harassment, and abuse.

Our Values

● Take care of each other
EDAM is 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. Be attentive to your dance partner(s) and their comfort and safety, listening for the unspoken “no” in the dance. If you are unsure if someone is committed to the dance, ask them verbally if they are okay. “Lead by following.” If you don’t know your partner, assume they have less experience than you. We train in sensitivity considering your partner’s abilities. We encourage people to respond to each other with kindness and respect at all times.

● Be respectful and inclusive
Don’t feel obligated to dance with anyone you don’t feel comfortable with. However, if you are more experienced, consider making an effort to dance with a variety of people. Be mindful of the language you use - at our events and on our online media - and how it might affect others. 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. Scented products can cause serious allergic reactions and respiratory distress. Please refrain from using and wearing scented products to any EDAM activity as much as possible.

● Be safe
You are welcome to sit out at any point during a class, workshop, or JAM. If you are in exercise mode with someone, politely let them know that you need to take a rest. If you are dancing or at a JAM, you may use a verbal or non-verbal exit. Feel free to quietly, verbally communicate with your partner what you need, especially if you are feeling any pain/discomfort in your dance, ie: “less weight please,” “slow down please,” etc. Be attentive to people around you and be mindful of spatial awareness.

● Reflect on yourself
Dancing can be a sensual activity, and flirtation might occur; however, be attentive to the reaction to your flirtation. EDAM’s classes, workshops, and JAMs are not intended for this purpose. Ask for and respect consent, always. Reflect on your behaviour, how might it affect others. Be open and receptive when someone tells you that they feel uncomfortable. Everyone has a different level of comfort: listen to your dance partners and your fellow community members and respect their boundaries, identities, and choices.