Erasmus Student Network Groningen is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all, and to ensuring that no individual is discriminated against in the planning and execution of any of our projects or activities.
This Code of Conduct sets out to ensure that every person feels safe, included and respected during their involvement with ESN Groningen. We make clear that we have a zero-tolerance policy towards any kind of discrimination or threatening behaviour. We reaffirm the importance of our core values, those of unity in diversity, openness, tolerance and respect. We demonstrate our dedication to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity among our members and volunteers.
We recognise our responsibilities as an international youth organisation and are committed to meeting them in full. An organisational culture that embraces equality and values diversity will help us to ensure that everyone feels involved and included in our plans and activities.
This Code applies to any individual, organisation or group participating in any activity of ESN Groningen and covers conduct at:
ESN Groningen is an environment which respects and welcomes everyone, and in which no form of bullying, harassment, violence, disrespectful or discriminatory behaviour is tolerated. Our policy extends to, but is not limited by, discrimination on the basis of:
All persons participating in the activities of ESN Groningen must act in accordance with these values and work to cultivate an inclusive and accessible network. Individuals should be respectful and constructive in their communication and engagement with others. ESN Groningen will not tolerate any instance of verbally or physically aggressive behaviour. Violations of this Code should be reported to the designated Point of Contact (5.) and will be dealt with according to the relevant procedure (5.1–5.4.)
ESN Groningen values the health and safety of all those involved with the organisation and to safeguard this during all its activities. ESN Groningen takes its responsibility to create a safe and inclusive environment at all activities. The provision of alcoholic beverages at activities shall always be done in a responsible way and in accordance with the Dutch law. It is expected from all involved with ESN Groningen to act responsible and safe with regards to the consumption of alcohol.
Moreover, underage drinking is not accepted at ESN Groningen. Alcohol cannot be made available for people underage and the consumption of it by people underage is not allowed. In the Netherlands, the legal age to consume alcohol is 18 years old. If an activity takes place in another country, the legal drinking age of that country applies. If alcohol is served during an activity, non-alcoholic beverages will always be available and promoted. Bringing your own alcoholic beverages to an activity is not allowed, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The Executive Board can act according to the relevant procedure (as described in 5.1-5.4) to any violations or irresponsible behaviours regarding alcohol.
ESN Groningen has a zero-tolerance policy regarding drugs at any of the activities. This applies to the use, possession and distribution of drugs, as well as being under the influence of drugs during activities.This applies to all drugs that are prohibited by the Dutch Law, both ‘soft drugs’ and ‘hard drugs’. Violation of this section will result in the automatic exclusion for the remainder of the event and possible exclusion from one or more future activities, as described in sections 5.1-5.4.
It is forbidden to bring any dangerous object to any of the activities. Dangerous objects include, but are not limited to: fire works, fire arms, knives, other sharp objects, or an imitation of any of these objects. The Executive Board of ESN Groningen determines if an object is dangerous. Violation of this section will result in the automatic exclusion for the remainder of the event, and additionally, possible exclusion from one or more future activities, as described in sections 5.1-5.4.
The Point of Contact is responsible for ensuring that all parties present are aware of their rights and obligations under this Code of Conduct.
The Point of Contact for ESN Groningen is the present Board Member of the Executive Board during an ESN activity. In case of witnessing or experiencing any kind of bullying, degradation, harassment, verbal, non-verbal discriminatory behaviour, you should report it to the Point of Contact, provided you feel comfortable doing so. For violations of the Code committed through online platforms and in cases where you do not want to approach the Point of Contact, you have the option of submitting an incident report through the online form. The submission will be received by the Confidential Advisors of the Executive Board. The submission is confidential and you have the right to remain anonymous if preferred.
In the case of witnessing or receiving any complaints the Point of Contact is required, on their best judgement, to, in a successive order and depending on the severity of the action:
Incidents that require further action will be dealt with by the Executive Board.
If the Code of Conduct has been violated with respect to a group that is present, the same procedure as described above applies. Any of the present members of the group have the right to demand an excuse and/or a mediation procedure as described above. The offended group also has the right to nominate one of its members to exclusively represent its interests in the mediation process. If the Code has been violated with respect to a group that is not present, any participant of the meeting can bring the incident to the Point of Contact.
If the Point of Contact feels at any time that there is a risk of injury to any person, they should ensure that the venue is safe for all participants and contact the relevant authorities if necessary and possible according to the laws of the country.
In order to protect the privacy of the persons affected, all parties involved are bound to silence, except if any legal procedure requires disclosure or for the safety of an individual, and discretion about any facts they come to know during the mediation process. The Point of Contact shall not disclose the identities of the parties concerned without consent.
We acknowledge that some countries or communities may permit or require some form of segregation (e.g. based on gender for certain activities/trips), which goes against the spirit of our code of conduct. In this situation, we would not expect anyone acting on behalf of ESN Groningen to violate local laws, or expose themselves to any risk of legal or physical harm. Any restrictions of this nature should be communicated to the Point of Contact prior to the activity.