Join the Conversation in Shaping Mosaic's Consent Team Evolution

The Consent Team is seeking community participation in our public vetting process. We are looking to add one Response Team member ahead of this year's event, Luke Elias, AKA Pumpkin. In addition, Jill LeighAnn remains on the Response Team, and current Response Team member Dannie Horton (that's me!) is stepping into the role of co-lead alongside Naomi Belanger, AKA Bunikat. Your feedback helps increase the odds that team members are always folks that the community trusts. Please let us know what you think here: https://forms.gle/CTuALDmZpfj5Qchg6. Responses will be collected through this Friday (9/22).

We'd also like to open up a broader dialogue with the community about what our focus should be, how our priorities should be shifting, and how we can best create more safety and trust in our process moving forward.

This is the first event in which the consent team will consist entirely of non-founding members, and we've heard some really important questions being raised since we've stepped into our roles. Folks are asking how we can best handle reports for incidents that happen outside of Mosaic, who on our team should be part of the community vetting process, and how we can create a more streamlined process to resolve reports with more timeliness.

Before we make any changes on our end we really want to bring in your voices and let the community steer our evolution as much as possible. We're going to put out an invitation shortly after this year's event to join us for a community call. If you have opinions, criticisms, or hopes for what's possible regarding how we can best serve the community, we'd really like to hear from you.

And, as always... This is a volunteer-led effort that is run by the community. If you're super passionate about this work and want to figure out ways to help write our next chapter, please consider volunteering with us! We're a tiny team that is doing important work, and we would love to welcome more of you into shaping our process from within the team.

What happens when I make a consent report?

All reports move through the process outlined in the flowchart below.

Each situation is unique, and therefore the “next steps” section of the process is determined on a case-by-case basis.  Next steps may include simply listening to both sides and documenting, mediation, requesting extra efforts (such as taking a consent class), providing resources, working with the theme camp where the incident occurred, and/or advising the Event Leads in cases where ejection/banning is recommended.  

The goal of this process is to create an opportunity for the community to respond and hold each other accountable when there are breakdowns in consent. Our intention is to avoid public shaming or punishment - instead, interventions will be aimed towards education and improved understanding among all involved. We are not professional mediators. We are burners helping burners be radically excellent to one another.

For a more information on the response process or to file an online report, check out the Consent Team contact page of our website.

What is the Consent Team?

The Consent Team is made up of two main parts: the Education Auxiliary and the Response Team.  

The Education Auxiliary is a new branch of the consent team that will work year round to create a culture of consent at Mosaic Experiment.  On-site they work with greeters to enhance consent education as participants arrive, organize and run the consent workshop(s), and distribute consent literature and swag.  Off-site they use social media to engage the community in consent conversations and communicate important information regarding the consent team.

The Response Team collects information about consent incidents, maintains confidential records of all reports, and responds appropriately to each reported incident. The Response Team takes reports from anyone, at any time through the Mosaic website. You can make a report online here. 

During the event there is always a member of the Response Team "on call" and team members will also be available for casual conversations about consent. If you are in need of help from the Response Team you can ask a ranger or anyone with a radio to contact the “on call” team member for you.  You may also submit a written report to the consent report drop box located at the first aid station, which will be checked twice daily. 

A Conversation on Consent

Let's talk about Consent! Part of being radically inclusive is creating a culture of consent at Mosaic.

What does that mean? In short it means, ask first. Keep in mind that other people are full human beings with their own boundaries, histories, and desires when you want to connect with them, and ask them if the interaction you have in mind sounds good to them.

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We can make sure we are doing it well by using the Four C's:

We CARE. We care about each other's well being and about our own and recognize that every human being is the authority on what works best to make themselves safe and happy. 

We COMMUNICATE. We ask directly and clearly for what we want. We invite collaboration and input from others to understand their desires and limits. We keep the communication going throughout the interaction and look for nonverbal communication also.

We show CAUTION. We wait to make sure a hug or a gift or our presence is welcome before we proceed and pay attention to context. We stay flexible and aware of changes in our interactions and check in if we sense that something might have changed.

We practice CONSENT. We ask if we can give someone a hug, take a picture, or slap their butt. We let people know about what exactly is in the cookie we are sharing. We look for an enthusiastic yes and respect no as the final answer. We look out for ways that someone's yes might be compromised by being altered or by social pressure and power dynamics.

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These things are nuanced and take work, but the payout is massive. When you are confident that everyone is on the same page, you can relax and enjoy the interaction a lot more.

A wonderful place to learn more and practice this kind of communication is at the Consent 101 Workshop that the Consent Team is hosting at Mosaic on Friday Sep 30 at 2:00 pm. Look for the location and more details coming soon!

In the meantime, we can start the conversation in the digital world. Do you have any consent memes or art you love that we can share? What does consent mean to you? How has consent culture impacted your life?

Share away and help build a culture of consent at Mosaic Experiment.

Consent Team Nominations

These 5 fine folks have been nominated to join the Consent Team by members of our community, and they have graciously accepted! Now we need your help!

The most unique part of our Consent Education & Accountability Project - our public vetting process - provides an opportunity for us to increase the odds that the team members are always folks that the community trusts. So please, PLEASE, please - let us know what you think: https://forms.gle/ofbvt55JQeK4vSyGA

Your feedback is confidential and very much desired! TYIA
Jill LeighAnn - Naomi Belanger - Edward ReJam Tivrusky - Kelly Logan - Dannie Horton