Introduction:

‍It’s extremely important to us that Wilderness Union is a safe, respectful and welcoming community. We’ve worked hard to make this a reality, from vetting each of our members to giving you opportunities to meet everyone before you head out on adventures together. 

We’re proud that our group reflects Toronto. We’re incredibly diverse and want you to feel you can be your true self with whatever orientations and identities make you who you are. We are committed to providing an atmosphere where everyone can enjoy the outdoors free from harassment, discrimination, and misconduct. We therefore want to provide some clear expectations about your behaviour in the group, what you can do if a problem does arise and how we will deal with it.

These guidelines apply to all members whether at a Wilderness Union sanctioned event or otherwise, including socials or other events organized within the Wilderness Union Discord.

The TLDR? Don’t be a jerk, don’t be a creep. If someone is, let us know!

‍Harassment Definition:

‍Harassment is any unwanted physical, verbal, or written conduct that interferes with an individual’s employment, education, participation in a social or recreational activity, or personal safety.

‍Sexual Harassment Definition:

‍Sexual harassment is a form of harassment that involves unwanted sexual advances and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.Both of these definitions extend to making people feel uncomfortable. We expect you to be sensitive about your behaviour and how it impacts others.

‍What to do if someone has made you feel uncomfortable or you have concerns about another member:

‍We want to know about it and are committed to dealing with issues as quickly as possible.

We have Member Care Ambassadors who you can contact any time and will deal with any concerns sensitively and in confidence.You can message the ambassadors on Discord - Currently Isaac (Wilderness Union’s founder) and Britania. You can also find the Member Care Ambassadors under Roles in Discord’s Member tab.

If you talk with Britania, she will pass on your concern to Isaac without divulging your identity (unless you give her permission to do so). Isaac will then decide on the best course of action, discussing it with you first if you’ve agreed to share your name.We understand that you may want to keep certain things private, or perhaps you don’t want a situation escalated. Depending on the severity of the situation, Wilderness Union management may need to act for the wellbeing of other members. We’ll let you know how we plan to deal with a situation and take every reasonable precaution to maintain your anonymity in that process. 

‍Enforcement:

‍Any members found to have behaved inappropriately risk being expelled from the group, depending on the severity of the issue and the wishes of the complainants. 

‍Takeaway:

‍Everyone makes mistakes. Own it when you do, learn from it and move on. It’s when you don’t learn and continue the behaviour that it turns into harassment and becomes unacceptable.

There are specific people you can talk to any time you have concerns who will listen non-judgmentally and take those concerns seriously.

Paying attention to this will help ensure that Wilderness Union continues to be the safe, supportive environment that you already know and love!