REAP’s Slack Community and Resources

If our half-mile long Alameda campus is the heart of REAP, then Slack is our nervous system, allowing us to connect and collaborate across vast spaces, through diverse conditions, and in the interstices of our busy lives. 

Slack is, at its simplest, a messaging platform, where community members can organize around REAP’s topics of interest (what we here at REAP call “guilds”), passion projects (“projects”), and organizational needs (“groups”). 

But it’s also much more than that: Slack houses all the resources you need to catch up on, get involved with, and drive impact through REAP’s programs. Want to learn how to take care of the sheep? Start by joining #guild-regenerative-animal-agriculture. There, you’ll find resources, community members, and experts. Interested in solar panel maintenance? Head to #guilds-renewable-energy-lab. Want to help REAP’s outreach and communications? Ask to join #group-marketing. Slack is the gateway to involvement not only in REAP, but in your Alameda community of doers and climate-minded folks. 

Sounds pretty great, huh? We think so. Just to help keep it great, though, we’ve compiled a bunch of important information on this page. Below are REAP’s Slack Community Guidelines, a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and a series of links to external resources in case you’ve not had the fortune of interacting with Slack up until now. And if you have any questions, then join up and ask them in our #questions-and-resources channel – someone will be happy to help you. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• I don't know how to use Slack, how do I learn?

  The best resource for a new Slack user is Slack’s own onboarding resources, found here. Explore their whole knowledge base at that link. 

  For REAP-specific questions, be sure to read about our unique terminology (Guilds, Groups, and Projects) and to ask questions in #questions-and-resources once you get into Slack. 

• How do I join Slack?

  That’s a great question! Fill out this form and at the end of the form you will receive an invitation to join. 

• Should I join Slack? I'm not sure.

  If you aren’t sure, ask yourself this one simple question: are you interested in potentially getting more involved at REAP beyond attending events and volunteer days? If yes, join! You don’t have to be active at first – you’re welcome to lurk, learn, and take your time. We are deeply committed to the first principle of Permaculture: Observe and Interact. Come observe, come interact! 

• I see all of these communities, but I have an interest of my own that relates to REAP. What should I do?

  Join up, and start a conversation in #general to gauge interest or ask a more targeted question to a Slack admin or #questions-and-resources! We’d love to hear about your passions, and we will be upfront about what how REAP can be involved. 

• Where are all of these Guild resources and past work I keep hearing about?

  We put most of our resources in the Canvas associated with each channel. Check out that link to learn more about Canvases.

• What are some best practices for using Slack?

  Try to chat in channels as much as possible, rather than direct messages! You never know when your question or consideration might be of value to someone else.
  
  Take advantage of “threads” to have conversations within channels. This declutters the channels.

REAP SLACK COMMUNITY GUIDELINES AND CODE OF CONDUCT

Credit to Slack’s website

This Code of Conduct only applies to events, discussions, and interactions that occur within the Slack Community workspace. It is distinct from Slack's company-wide Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which applies to all Slack workspaces and outlines acceptable and unacceptable use of Slack's services. For more details on how Slack protects user safety and prevents harm across the platform, including our approach to addressing violations and safeguarding customer data, please refer to the AUP.

Introduction

Diversity and inclusion make our community strong. We encourage participation from the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible and want to be very clear about where we stand.

Our goal is to maintain a safe, helpful and friendly community for everyone, regardless of experience, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, or other defining characteristic.

This code and related procedures apply to unacceptable behavior occurring in all community venues, including behavior outside the scope of community activities — online and in-person— as well as in all one-on-one communications, and anywhere such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.

Expected Behavior

• Be welcoming.

• Be kind.

• Look out for each other.

Unacceptable Behavior

• Conduct or speech which might be considered sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory or offensive in nature.

• Do not use unwelcome, suggestive, derogatory or inappropriate nicknames or terms.

• Do not show disrespect towards others. (Jokes, innuendo, dismissive attitudes.)

• Intimidation or harassment (online or in-person).

• Disrespect towards differences of opinion.

• Inappropriate attention or contact. Be aware of how your actions affect others. If it makes someone uncomfortable, stop.

• Not understanding the differences between constructive criticism and disparagement.

• Sustained disruptions.

• Violence, threats of violence or violent language.

Enforcement

• Understand that speech and actions have consequences, and unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated.

• If you are the subject of, or witness to any violations of this Code of Conduct, please contact any Slack admin (identifiable by their display name). 

• If violations occur, organizers will take any action they deem appropriate for the infraction, up to and including expulsion.