OFB Board


	The OFB Community Care Team
THE PROBLEM: The OFB Board has been working for some time to address complaints that we receive periodically about sexual harassment (or "creepiness"), real or perceived, at our dance. We recognize that a great deal of these complaints may truly be just the perception of the complainant -- someone doesn't understand our culture of intense eye contact and feels creeped out by it, or somehow just takes something personally that is ok with others. In a few cases, there may really be some inappropriate behavior that needs to be addressed. But whether the incident is due to truly inappropriate behavior or merely perception of such, the complaint must be respected and taken seriously. SOLUTION - DUAL APPROACH Our efforts to address this problem take a dual approach -- prevention and response. Prevention: We are working on both actors and recipients – Actors: we are working to educate dancers to be aware of how their actions may be perceived, and to be conscious of how they come across, especially to new folks. Recipients: we are working to educate dancers about our culture so they will be less likely to misinterpret looks or brief intimate contacts on the dance floor, and to learn how to give feedback so things don't escalate to feelings of harassment. We also encourage dancers to report incidents of discomfort so that we can detect patterns of recurring complaints, and also so we can assist dancers in developing their own response skills. This last piece of the strategy is where the Community Care Team comes in! THE COMMUNITY CARE TEAM While we look to the Board as the leaders of our group, we realize that perhaps not all Board members are the best people to respond to these kinds of incidents. Some board members may not feel comfortable in this role (although they are super board members in other areas of service), and some dancers may not find anyone on the Board to be approachable for them. The Community Care Team will be a select group of people who would like to help respond to these incidents of perceived harassment, when they are reported. Our goal is to create a diverse team so that anyone in our community who has a complaint will find someone on the team whom they feel comfortable approaching to discuss the problem. CC Team members will be trained in how to respond to a complaint. We will develop a response protocol, and team members will work in pairs with a complainant to follow the response plan. The response plan is being developed with the help of RISE, the sexual safety organization at Warren Wilson College. (For more information on the RISE project, Click Here) HOW TO JOIN THE TEAM Those interested in serving our community in this important way are invited to apply to be on the Community Care Team. Application includes attending a training session on sexual harassment. This training is also open to anyone in the dance community who would like to attend. THE FIRST SESSION will be this SUNDAY, JULY 12, 3:00-5:00 PM, at WARREN WILSON COLLEGE (exact meeting space coming soon.) It will be conducted by RISE staff. LOCATION: The training will be in Jensen, on the third floor. Jensen is the academic building closest to the Pavilion. It is beige brick. They should enter on the third floor level, which is reached from the side facing Sunderland. All of the classrooms are next to each other so they will see where to go when they arrive. Link to campus map: http://www.warren-wilson.edu/info/campus_map.php Also, that afternoon will be arrival day for both week 2 of Swannanoa Gathering, and the WWC Culinary Arts Institute, so it will likely be a zoo. Our folks should park in the Kittredge parking lot, and not take up any spaces near the dorms. At the training, we will distribute applications to those who are interested in being on the team. We will also provide more details on what will be expected, and answer questions. The training will include: 1. Understanding Sexual Harassment (Presentation) 2. Applying sexual harassment understanding to scenarios (Small group work) 3. The Dance Community (Discussion) What works well in the dance community? How can we use what works well in the dance community to prevent harassment? 4. Sharing Initiatives (Presentation from OFB Board) 5. Practice through Role Plays Role plays that address: Responding to someone who feels harassed Approaching someone who has been reported for harassment an instance where it is well received an instance where the person is upset an instance where the person refuses to follow through Following OFB protocol If you plan to attend, please RSVP on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=102413613814&mid=bd7d4bG27c10109G217f0f0G7. If you are not on Facebook, you can RSVP with a quick personal e-mail to diane AT diane-silver DOT com – replace the AT and the DOT to make it a regular e-mail address. If you would like to apply to be on the Community Care Team, but you absolutely cannot come this Sunday, please contact Diane Silver (diane AT diane-silver DOT com). We will work with social service providers in the area to find a comparable training for you to attend so that you can apply to join the CC team. We hope lots of dancers will attend this training and be an active part of keeping our community safe and welcoming to all.