Open conversation is essential to the wellbeing of any community. It is especially important now, as we collaboratively determine how to evolve our governance. To help the community come together and share in a safe and respectful environment, we are offering the Community Discussions track.

Join fellow community members to discuss recent community issues and governance improvements. Sessions will be facilitated by Whitney Hess to ensure that all voices are heard and understood.

We will post meeting minutes taken by independent notetakers at each session by the end of each day to provide transparency and allow community members to contribute to the discussion online. Names and identifying information will not be noted.

All community members are welcome to attend. The room is fully accessible and open to all, though we must comply with venue capacity limits.

This session accommodates 15 attendees and will adhere to the ground rules provided by our mediator, Whitney Hess.

Before selecting a session to attend:

• Review the ground rules
• Directions to the Community Discussion Room @ Pratt Street East Office

Ground Rules for Community Discussions

Key Principles of Nonviolent Communication

• Responsibility for Our Feelings: We aim to move away from blame, shame, judgment, and criticism by connecting our feelings to our own needs. This recognition empowers us to take action to meet our needs instead of waiting for others to change.

• Responsibility for Our Actions: We aim to recognize our choice in each moment, and take action based on seeing how it would meet our needs to do so; we aim to move away from taking action based on fear, guilt, shame, the desire for reward, or any “should” or “have to.”

• Prioritizing Connection: We aim to focus on connection instead of immediate solutions, and to trust that connecting with our own and others’ needs is more likely to lead to creating solutions that meet everyone’s needs.

• Equal Care for Everyone’s Needs: We aim to make requests and not demands; when hearing disagreement with our request, or when disagreeing with another’s request, we aim to work towards solutions that meet everyone’s needs, not just our own, and not just the other person’s.

• Self-Expression: When expressing ourselves, we aim to speak from the heart, expressing our feelings and needs, and making specific, doable requests rather than demands.

• Empathic Hearing: When we hear others, we aim to hear the feelings and needs behind the expressions, even when they express judgments or demands.

• Protective Use of Force: We aim to use force only to protect, not to punish others or get our way without the other’s agreement, and only in situations where the principles above were not sufficient to meet immediate needs for safety. We aim to return to dialogue as soon as safety is re-established.

How These Ground Rules Work

• Ground rules will be stated at the beginning of each session.

• If you are not in agreement with the ground rules, please do not participate in the session.

• If a participant is repeatedly disruptive of respectful, productive discussion, they will be asked to leave; if they do not leave, the session will be terminated immediately.

Directions

To reach the office from the DrupalCon Lobby or Exhibit Hall you have 2 options:

Option 1

• Go up the main escalators/stairs to the 300 level
• Walk through the main corridor in the direction of the Baltimore Hilton
• When you reach the 300 level Pratt Street Lobby, go down the escalators/stairs to the 200 level
• The Community Discussion Room/Pratt Street East Office will be to the east

Option 2

• Go outside the Baltimore Convention Center
• Enter through the Pratt Street Lobby doors
• Go up to the 200 level
• The Community Discussion Room/Pratt Street East Office will be on the left