Community etiquette

The Education for Climate Coalition brings together a wide range of perspectives, experiences and practices from the fields of education and sustainability. The community includes people of different ages, backgrounds, institutions, roles and levels of expertise, creating a rich and diverse environment for learning and collaboration.

As a platform focused on education and climate, we aim to learn together in a safe and inclusive environment. Through participation, collaboration and leading by example, we work towards identifying and implementing concrete actions that support education for climate.

To ensure that this community remains a safe and welcoming space for everyone, including children and students, the Education for Climate Secretariat commits to the following actions:

• develop and maintain a community where age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or any other aspect of diversity does not prevent anyone from participating
• encourage different opinions and perspectives while requiring respectful and constructive dialogue
• foster an open and collaborative environment wherever possible
• establish English as the main language of the community and platform; general discussions, participatory challenges and main events are held in English; you can also connect with peers from your country or language group through the National Coalition groups in an official EU language
• Ensure that all participatory challenge outcomes are managed under the Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence. This allows materials to be shared and adapted provided that appropriate credit is given, and any changes are indicated (Attribution), the material is not used for commercial purposes (non-commercial), and adapted versions are distributed under the same licence (ShareAlike).
• remind community members that they must comply with relevant legislation, including GDPR and copyright law; classified information must not be shared 
• Encourage respect for the privacy of minors when showcasing projects involving underage students; it is strongly recommended to avoid displaying identifiable facial images. Where such images are necessary, faces should be blurred or otherwise anonymised. This helps maintain a safe and respectful environment for all participants, particularly children
• reserve the right to remove content and take appropriate follow-up action where posts do not comply with these commitments or the principles outlined below.

How to interact on the platform

At all times, please make sure to: 

• Be responsible: You are responsible for the content you post and for ensuring that your contributions are accurate, appropriate and respectful of the community guidelines.
• Be transparent and accountable: Help your peers understand your reasoning and materials by citing sources and information appropriately. Share useful links and provide access to open and reproducible data and evidence where possible. Give feedback in a constructive manner, and avoid posting content that could be considered advertising or implicit lobbying.
• Be transparent and accountable: Help your peers understand your reasoning and materials by citing sources and information appropriately. Share useful links and provide access to open and reproducible data and evidence where possible. Give feedback in a constructive manner, and avoid posting content that could be considered advertising or implicit lobbying.
• Stay relevant: Keep discussions focused on the topic at hand. When contributing to a discussion or content thread, ensure that your input is relevant, constructive and useful to other members taking part. Before posting, take a moment to read through the thread to make sure your contribution adds value to the conversation.
• Express yourself clearly: English is the main language of the community and platform. All general discussions, participatory challenges and main events are conducted in English. You can also connect with peers from your country or language group through the National Coalition groups, where discussions can take place in the relevant national language(s). Remember that many community members are not native English speakers, so please use clear, simple language that is easy for everyone to understand.
• Say thank you: Acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of others. If someone’s input has been helpful, let them know. Ask for support when you need it, and take the time to thank those who respond. Collaboration thrives when community members recognise and value each other’s contributions.