Kiterhood is committed to ensuring the respect and tolerance of diverse groups of individuals. In fact, our values include community, empathy, and global perspective. As such, and to help ensure a safe and productive environment, participants, staff, and staff of partnering organizations are expected to behave in accordance with this Code of Conduct. We expect participants and staff to act with the values of respect and tolerance in mind when interacting with each other and the world at large. As you travel with us and/or work with us, you are representing yourself, you’re representing your home country, and you’re representing the Kiterhood community.

What does this mean, exactly? It means that your actions must be free from discrimination, libel, slander, or harassment. It also means, you are responsible for your own actions. Misconduct is not excusable because it was directed or requested by another. You are expected to alert Kiterhood whenever an illegal or unethical act is discovered or suspected. No one will be subject to retaliation for a good faith report of a suspected violation.

Participants who violate The Code will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter. (Note for participants: any guests or visitors brought to Kiterhood accommodations, workspaces, or events are expected to behave in accordance with The Code and may be banned from Kiterhood accommodations, workspaces, or events if they fail to do so.) Staff who violate The Code will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. Periodically, you may also be required to review The Code and acknowledge your understanding of and compliance with The Code.

The Code is not a contract and as such does not create any contractual rights of any kind between Kiterhood and any participant or staff. The Code and its contents may be modified and changed by Kiterhood at any time. Changes and updates to The Code will be communicated to you by Kiterhood.‍

Yes, we realize that the word “employment” in the title of this section may not strictly apply to all readers, since participants are not employees of Kiterhood (and in fact, only some staff are employees). Even so, it’s important to us to say that we believe in what EEO laws represent for participants and staff. For example, we prohibit unlawful discrimination against people on the basis of their age (40 and older), race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, marital status, disability (including pregnancy), military status, genetic information, or any other statuses protected by applicable laws.

Kiterhood also recognizes that some individuals may have physical and/or mental disabilities. As such, Kiterhood will endeavor to provide reasonable accommodations unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others, violates local laws, and/or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship to Kiterhood.

Kiterhood is dedicated to providing a harassment-free environment and therefore prohibits harassment or discrimination of any kind, especially involving race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, gender identity and expression, physical appearance, body size, and/or technology choices.

Prohibited harassment also includes: inappropriate use of sexual images, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.  Any such activities could result in disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter (participants) or dismissal (staff).

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination which is prohibited by law and violates The Code. Prohibited conduct may be verbal, visual, or physical in nature. It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, or the granting or withholding of something of value in response to sexual conduct.

More subtle forms of behavior, such as foul or obscene language of a sexual nature, posting or viewing social media language or pictures, gossiping, asking questions about another’s sex life, displaying offensive posters, cartoons, caricatures, comments, jokes of a sexual nature, and repeated unwanted requests for a date are prohibited as they may constitute sexual harassment or contribute to a hostile or offensive environment. All questionable behavior should be avoided because conduct that appears to be welcome or tolerated by one person may be very offensive to another.

Do not ignore harassment. Participant and/or staff who feel they have been harassed or who witness any type of harassment should make it known that the behavior should be stopped immediately. Inappropriate behavior should be reported according to the guidelines listed below. If you believe you are being harassed or discriminated against for any reason, please, immediately contact your Program Leader (participants) or People Operations representative (staff) or use the resources under the Reporting Procedures section in this Code.

Kiterhood is committed to maintaining a violence-free environment and will not tolerate any type of violence or threats of violence. Violence includes, but is not limited to, harassment, coercion, physical altercations, use of weapons of any kind, intimidation, stalking, and threats of violence. Please, do not joke or make off-hand remarks about violence.

Any potentially dangerous situation must be reported immediately to a Program Leader (participants) or your manager (staff). Law enforcement, security, and/or emergency services should be contacted first if you believe there is an imminent threat.

Social media offers various methods of communication and self-expression and it can foster community. However, use of social media that violates The Code (including discrimination and harassment), discloses confidential or proprietary information, makes maliciously false comments about Kiterhood or its staff or participants, or contains abusive comments, may result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter (participants) or dismissal (staff).

Everyone on a Kiterhood Chapter (and everyone working for Kiterhood) is an adult and is expected to make responsible decisions. It's not Kiterhood's place to tell consenting adults who they can and can't date or be friends with; with one exception:

Kiterhood's stance on participants entering into a physical or romantic relationship with other participants, emphasizes Kiterhood’s commitment to and belief in the importance of Affirmative Consent. Affirmative Consent is defined as “informed, freely and affirmatively communicated willingness to participate in sexual activity that is expressed by clear and unambiguous words or actions.” Clear and unambiguous words or actions are those that are freely and actively given by informed individuals that a reasonable person in the circumstances would believe communicate a willingness to participate in mutually agreed upon sexual activity.

As specified in the “Anti-Harassment” section in this Code, unwelcome sexual attention is not permitted, if you are not sure if you have Affirmative Consent, immediately stop.
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Kiterhood has a longstanding commitment to provide you with safe experiences. Kiterhood has safeguards and resources in place to reduce risks, and in turn you are also expected to avoid behavior that is likely to cause danger to yourself or to others. Specifically, the use of alcohol and drugs are examples of this type of behavior.

Alcohol Use. Excessive alcohol use has many potentially negative and/or risky effects. We will not tell you what your drink limit should be, but we do ask that you make smart decisions about your personal alcohol use.

Additionally, staff is expected to act responsibly and ensure their intake of alcohol does not impede their judgment or job performance.

For both participants and staff, if your actions cause a threat to you or others, or if you participate in behaviors that violate The Code you may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter (participants) or dismissal (staff).

Drug Use. The use of illegal drugs violates the law. Drug abuse can also pose a threat to the health and safety of participants and staff. The term “drug” as used in this Code includes the improper use of prescription drugs, marijuana, illegal inhalants, illegal drugs and/or other controlled substances.

Kiterhood reserves the right to inspect all premises for drugs or other contraband, and any person refusing to cooperate in such inspections may be subject to appropriate discipline up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter (participants) or dismissal (staff).

If you use, possess, buy, sell, manufacture or dispense an illegal drug you may be disciplined, up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter (participants) or dismissal (staff).

Kiterhood assumes no liability for any behavior that breaches this Code of Conduct, including, but not limited to, violence, harassment, sexual assault, and/or the use or abuse of alcohol and/or drugs. If you participate in or instigate behaviors in breach of The Code of Conduct, Kiterhood reserves the right to contact local authorities, contact your emergency contact, and/or take any other steps that Kiterhood deems necessary to maximize your safety and the safety of those around you. In addition, you may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter (participants) or dismissal (staff).

It is each person’s responsibility to abide by any/all applicable laws and regulations, as well as by The Code of Conduct. If you believe that there has been a violation of any expectations defined in The Code of Conduct, including harassment or discrimination, you are obligated to make a timely report to enable Kiterhood to investigate and correct not only the behavior, but also any effects behavior may have had on the program and/or those involved.

If you observe an incident of violence or threatened violence that is immediate and serious, take steps to maximize safety first, including contacting local authorities and/or security if needed. Once the immediate threat has passed, please also notify Kiterhood by following the procedures outlined below.

To report a situation or incident, your first line of support is to report the incident to your Program Leader (participants) or your People Operations representative (staff). For participants who are not comfortable reporting to their first line of support, your second option is to reach the Kiterhood founder, Thibaut ROY (thibaut@kiterhood.com).

During an investigation, each incidence will be evaluated on an individual basis. If the result of an investigation indicates that corrective action is called for, such action may include disciplinary measures up to and including immediate expulsion from the Kiterhood Chapter without a refund at the discretion of Kiterhood (participants), or dismissal (staff).

Kiterhood does not tolerate retaliation for filing a report. For more information, see the No Retaliation section of this Code.

Retaliation against any person who in good faith has reported a violation of The Code (or the law), has raised questions or concerns, has reported an incident, or has otherwise participated in an investigation of such matters, will not be tolerated.

If, for any reason, you perceive retaliation, please follow the report procedure outlined above to notify us. The situation will be investigated, and if Kiterhood determines an individual’s behavior is in violation of The Code, disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including removal from the Kiterhood Chapter (participants), or dismissal (staff).