Community Agreements

​For volunteers at our community center and our offsite events, we have a set of agreements on how we try to behave, which helps us to live up to the values we bring to this work. 

• Be kind to everyone who comes in. Remember that asking for help can be difficult, and we are trying to create a space where people feel safe coming to ask for help or to get involved with helping their community. 
• It is not up to us to determine who is worthy of support. We never apply conditions on getting support or question why anyone needs it.

CLick to display examples

• ​If someone comes to us under the influence of drugs or alcohol, we do not withhold support until they are sober, or express judgement of their addiction or drug use. 
• If someone refuses the support of the government, such as if they don't want to sleep in a shelter or don't want to sign up for SNAP/EBT, we do not judge them or withhold support. The systems the government provides are often inadequate (for example, some people feel safer on the street than in a shelter) and some people do not trust the government due to their immigration status, criminal status, or previous negative experiences with the US or other governments. 
• If someone has something that costs money, that does not mean they are not in need. Someone might have a nice phone, a car, a job, or a business, and still be struggling to survive. Remember that you do not know the details of their life - they may have a family to support, their business might be in debt, and that car might be their source of work or even their home.

• If someone is being aggressive or unkind to you or someone else, please attempt to de-escalate the situation. We avoid calling the police in almost all instances, with the understanding that reducing interactions between the police and people in crisis actually keeps our community safer.

CLICK TO DISPLAY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT DE-ESCALATION​

• ​Remain calm as much as you can and listen to what the person is saying. Ask them to stop the aggressive behavior and see if they stop.
• Sometimes people are unkind because they are concerned about having their needs met. If you are unable to help someone with their needs, try reaching out to other volunteers to see if they have ideas on how to help. If not, offer them whatever we can provide that day, whether it's food, clothes, water, or just a place to sit for a few hours.
• If they continue to behave aggressively, a lead volunteer can ask them to leave the community center. The volunteer team that day might choose to lock the door and take a team break, to give everyone space to process the interaction and decide if you will reopen.
• Please avoid calling the police unless someone is in imminent danger and you do not have any other options. Keep in mind that the NYPD has a long history of harming people during and after arrest. Jailing people does not help them become better members of our community. By supporting people with their needs, we can create a world where we don't fear our neighbors and lock them up.
• If you are not comfortable with these principles, then we ask that you do not join us as an in-person volunteer without talking to us first. There are plenty of other ways to get involved that do not include public-facing work!

• ​In order to live by our principles of being a non-hierarchical and self-organized community of neighbors, we have established a set of community agreements that provide the framework for how we engage with one another in our meetings and volunteer spaces. 

Click to display full community meeting agreements​

• Be curious, open, and respectful as you engage with other community members. We seek first to understand and assume good intent while also acknowledging impact – if something we say or do causes harm we commit to working through it. We must also be willing to deliver and receive feedback honestly and compassionately.
• Be constructive not destructive: Approach suggestions with positive, constructive feedback, while limiting criticisms and avoiding ad hominem attacks.
• We can’t be articulate all the time: Give the benefit of the doubt when statements leave ambiguity. Accept that folks have a diverse range of experience with different digital tools and communication styles.
• Language diversity: We attempt to foster communication as best as we can. Queens is one of the most language-diverse areas in the world. Give space and patience when a speaker is holding a conversation in their non-native language.
• Take space, make space: In meetings or other important conversations, be aware of how much you may be dominating the conversation. Give other people a chance to speak if you’ve already spoken. Additionally, we aim to make sure that no one group or demographic monopolizes the conversation.  
• Be aware of the time: We all contribute to setting the pace of the meeting and are all accountable for making sure meetings end on time.  Prioritize which ideas you wish to share with the group.
• Speak from your own experience: Use “I statements…” when approaching discussions.  Understand that everyone has valuable knowledge to disseminate and that no one person has a monopoly on legitimate knowledge.  
• Challenge Assumptions:  Before posting or speaking, please be aware of what assumptions you hold, and be open to having your assumptions challenged. That includes asking ourselves hard questions: Why do I believe this? What am I afraid of? What am I gaining or losing by trying on a new perspective? The answers that stick with us are the ones that we come up with ourselves. Dialogue and exchange of ideas helps us come up with our own answers.
• Have conversations based on what was actually said: Often our translation of people’s ideas is far from the actual message they were sharing. Be sure to engage with people based on their actual words and not what you assume those words meant. If you are unsure, ask for clarity.
• Jargon Giraffe: Please stay away from acronyms and jargon as to allow everyone to come feel welcomed and included in public conversations. If you don’t understand something, ask!
• Confidentiality: What occurs in the meeting, stays in the meeting.  
• Strive for inclusion: Understand that while these forums are channels for information, they do not necessarily represent the community as a whole.  As a community we must always point out when diversity is not present and strive to bring people into the conversations.  
• Rooted in human dignity: We are a diverse community of individuals, groups, and interests. Astoria Mutual Aid Network is one amongst a chorus of voices in Western Queens. As an organization we will collectively amplify messages and pursue work which centers the dignity of all residents and is rooted in the demonstrated and explicitly stated needs of ourselves and our neighbors. Any action we undertake as a community must also be consistent with our values stated above.