How we show up

EAR members are asked to foster a collaborative, resilient environment by aligning with core values of trust, transparency, and presence.

EAR project values

The EAR project’s values statements are listed in our charter.

Inspired by…

EAR is a project of the Raft foundation. As the EAR collective emerged, we’ve been in conversation together around the Raft Foundation’s values and secondary principles. If you’re an EAR member, please review the Raft values as they also reflect how we’d like to work together within the EAR project.

We are also inspired by adrienne maree brown’s principles of Emergent Strategy:

1. Small is good, small is all. (The large is a reflection of the small.)
2. Change is constant. (Be like water.)
3. There is always enough time for the right work.
4. There is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it.
5. Never a failure, always a lesson.
6. Trust the People. (If you trust the people, they become trustworthy.)
7. Move at the speed of trust. Focus on critical connections more than critical mass — build the resilience by building the relationships.
8. Less prep, more presence.
9. What you pay attention to grows.

In practice

From our code of conduct, expected behaviors include, but are not limited to:

Show up in relationship. When your capacity or commitments change, say so early. Silence is harder in collaboration than a hard conversation. We coordinate on trust and trust requires communication. The responsibility for making this norm safe and not penalizing people for stepping back, not placing coordination burden on those already carrying it most, sits with whoever holds coordination power, not with the person stepping back.

Actively share power. EAR contributors hold power over research participants. Long-tenured members hold power over newcomers. People with more technical fluency hold power over those without it. Name this when it shows up and make decisions to account for it.

Center people, not just perspectives. Actively make space for people whose voices are less centered by default. This applies to who we invite, how we facilitate, and in who holds leadership. Diverse perspectives are not enough if the people holding them are not present and empowered.

Treat lived experience as expertise. Someone’s direct experience of a system is evidence about that system.

Take responsibility when you cause harm. We will all make mistakes. The commitment is not to be perfect but to listen when someone tells you you caused harm, take it seriously, and repair what you can.

Pace yourself and protect others’ ability to do the same. This is volunteer work. Joy, rest, and rigorous care are not aspirational. They are how we sustain this over time. Do not treat overextension as dedication.

Keep internal information internal. Internal transparency is essential to how we work. Public transparency is powerful and must be handled with care. Privacy protects the people most at risk including research participants who have shared things in confidence and contributors whose personal situations are not public. When in doubt, ask before sharing.