Welcoming Dance Environment Documentation

Square Dancing is an overwhelmingly social activity. Therefore, it is essential that square dance groups create a social environment that feels welcoming, engaging, and safe. Events in recent years have caused shifts in social norms that raise questions about what “welcoming, engaging, and safe” actually means. CALLERLAB has acted to provide guidance in this area. The result is two documents, one an omnibus document containing an overview of objectives, two handbooks of procedures, and a template process that clubs could adapt for handling instances of inappropriate behavior. The template process for handling inappropriate behaviour has also been abstracted out into a separate PDF and also Word format so that users can customize the forms for their own use.

The following reproduces the Table of Contents for the omnibus document:

Contents
CALLERLAB Handbook Goals..............................................A-1
CALLERLAB Handbook for Dancers........................................B-1
Appropriate Dancer Behavior...........................................B-1
Defensive Dancing ....................................................B-2
Helping to Create a Welcoming Dance Environment ......................B-2
CALLERLAB Handbook for Organization Leaders and Callers...............C-1
Definitions of Harassment and Other Inappropriate Behaviors ..........C-2
Enhancing Caller Awareness ...........................................C-3
Teaching Dancers about Appropriate Behavior ..........................C-4
Organization Guidelines for Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior ......D-1

• When and How to Make a Report
• Guidelines for Taking a Report and Addressing a Complaint
• Inappropriate Behavior Complaint Form