Approved by the BFS Board of Directors, March 30, 2023
Community Care Policy & BFS Values:
This policy is rooted in the organizational values of Belfast Flying Shoes, including our mission to support the local dance & music community.
Belfast Flying Shoes was founded to share the joys of participatory dance and music. Since its inception, BFS has strived to provide programs that are:
- inclusive — open for anyone to join
- adaptable — easily modified to meet individual needs
- accessible — requiring no special skills
- nonhierarchical — reflecting the attitude that we’re all in it together
We also value cooperation, mutual respect, kindness, and empathy. BFS programs are made possible by the engaged participation of volunteers and attendees from many walks of life.
What BFS Asks of You:
- Act With Kindness
- Assume positive intent, knowing that everyone is here to enjoy the music and the dancing.
- Consider the needs of your fellow participants.
- Practice requesting consent and gracefully accepting the answer you receive.
- Respect Our Chem Free Status
- Don’t bring alcohol or drugs.
- Don’t attend or participate under the influence.
- Be Responsible
- Help make the programs happen through your participation.
- Consider Flying Shoes values as you engage in participatory dance & music.
- Recognize that your attendance at a BFS program indicates your understanding and acceptance of this policy in its entirety.
- Special Considerations Related to Illness
- If you feel sick or unwell, don’t attend or participate in a BFS program.
- Consider wearing a mask, especially indoors and when dancing.
- Acknowledge the risks of attending a participatory music and dance program, and don’t hold others, including BFS and the venue, responsible if you experience illness after participating in a BFS program.
- If you experience illness after participating in a public program, consider informing BFS.
What BFS Will Do
- Offer programming for people who choose to participate
- Clearly communicate our Community Care Policy, in writing, on our website and at all of our public programs
- Verbally reference the policy during the program
- Remind attendees and participants that their presence indicates their understanding and acceptance of this policy in its entirety
- Offer examples of ways to request consent and ways to respect the answers received
Other Actions BFS Will Take, Related to Illness
- Share information about how wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of illness
- Ask attendees to consider wearing a mask indoors, especially when dancing
- Provide a variety of high-quality masks, free of charge
- Collect email address from participants who wish to be contacted if one of their fellow participants reports experiencing an illness after the program
- If a participant reports experiencing an illness after attending a public program, promptly send anonymized information to the participants in that program who provided their contact info for this purpose
- Reevaluate and revise this policy as needed
Note
- For the benefit of all participants, BFS can ask any participant to leave the program if they are not adhering to our community care policy in the opinion of BFS board and volunteers in charge of the event.