Principles

All U3AC members, staff and guests are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. We aim to prioritise the safety of members and support them in making choices and having control about how they participate in courses and activities. We are also committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion amongst our membership and not allowing discrimination to occur.

Meeting your responsibilities

To give positive guidance this Code of Behaviour provides a list (not exhaustive) to help you as a member ensure that U3AC follows the principles in the paragraph above.

Code of Behaviour

Treat everyone with dignity and respect.

• Treat everyone equally and equitably.
• Remember someone else might misinterpret your actions, no matter how well-intentioned. Ensure your behaviour is always appropriate.
• Respect everyone’s right to personal privacy.
• Observe the rules established for everyone’s safety and security.
• In all activities avoid dominating discussions or aggressively contradicting those leading the activity.
• If you are a tutor or leader of a course or activity, provide an inclusive and encouraging learning environment particularly for the quieter, less confident members.
• Use appropriate language – speaking, writing, phoning, emailing or using social media.

Other People’s Behaviour

• Allow members and staff to talk about any concerns they may have.
• Encourage others to challenge any attitudes or behaviours they do not like.
• For tutors or leaders there are no perfect, standardised methods of dealing with disruptive behaviour. They vary from group to group and from tutor/leader to tutor/leader. Even when someone’s behaviour is irritating, courtesy is essential, but tutors/ leaders should never replicate disruptive behaviour.
• ‘Disruptive behaviour’ is defined as departing from what is normally perceived as appropriate behaviour by participants in courses and activities, both during classes and activities themselves and/or outside of them (including written and verbal communications), which prevent the class or activity from properly fulfilling its objectives, and/or makes participants (including the tutor/organiser) feel uncomfortable, frustrated or intimidated.

Practical Arrangements

It is helpful for tutors/leaders and members to develop a joint understanding about how their sessions together can be made as enjoyable, respectful and productive as possible. You will find detailed guidance in the Tutor Support Handbook: Part 3 ‘Delivering a course or activity’ and Part 4 ‘Issues you may encounter’.

When problems arise

From time to time, despite every effort, problems do arise. However, in the first instance, try to resolve the situation informally through discussion with those involved/concerned. Recourse to the U3AC Complaints Policy procedure early on might lead to a more protracted process and entrenched positions.