Establishing a Positive Culture and Member Conduct within your Sports Club, Society, Network or Group

 

 

Creating a positive culture is a proactive way to ensuring inclusivity, safety, wellbeing and enjoyment.

 

 

1. Embrace Diversity

• Encourage participation from all members regardless of background, identity, or experience.
• Recognise and celebrate cultural, social, and personal differences.

2. Set the Right Tone

• Establish clear values for your sports club, society, network or group that promote respect, fairness, and openness.
• Be explicit about no tolerance for discriminatory or abusive language, ensuring your members know about what types of behaviours are unacceptable.

3. Your Role as a Committee Member

• At all times demonstrate respectful behaviour, clear communication, and integrity. You are in a position of leadership and your actions set the precedent for acceptable conduct within your club, society, network or group.
• Fulfil your role and responsibilities to the best of your ability, demonstrating accountability for the way you fulfil your role.
• Challenge unacceptable behaviour when you see it, actively showing your commitment to an inclusive culture.
• Ensure everyone feels heard by using inclusive language and facilitating balanced discussion, ensuring that you seek the opinion of quieter members of the group. You may want to do this privately rather than calling them out in front of everyone if they’re not confident in speaking up.
• Periodically check in with members to see if any adjustments are needed for comfort or inclusion, you could ask this in front of the whole group or send out a short survey.
• Listen to your members when they have a problem and signpost them to the appropriate support in the Advice Centre in the Students’ Association or Wellbeing Services within the University.
• Ask other committee members for help and support with a problem.
• Speak informally to a member of your club, society, network or group if you believe their behaviour falls below expectations.
• Report an issue or concern to Students’ Association staff if you’re unsure of where to signpost someone for support, or you’re unsure if something is a conduct issue.

4. Be a Role Model and Intervene

Here’s some useful guidance on your role when someone’s behaviour is unacceptable.

• Detect - look out for harmful behaviours and signs that people are uncomfortable.
• Direct Action - state that a behaviour is unacceptable, ask the person to stop or ask them to leave the activity or event and  ask the affected individuals if they are OK.
• Distract - interrupt a situation as it unfolds and change its direction, to prevent escalation.
• Delegate - arrange for someone else to intervene, such as another committee member or venue staff.
• Delay - wait for a situation to pass and choose a better moment to check-in with the affected individuals or to speak to individual(s) about their behaviour.
• Dialogue - use every opportunity to speak up about harmful behaviour in your activities.

5. Your role is not to

• Ignore or minimise reports of misconduct or discriminatory behaviour either because it feels too difficult, or because it involves a friend.
• Misuse your authority for personal gain or to silence concerns.
• Try to counsel members; you aren’t trained to do this or expected to do this.
• Sanction or suspend any member from your club, society, network or group activities.

6. Dealing with a Conduct Issue

• Try to be reactive quickly, raise the issue discreetly with the individual as early as possible, calming language, leave an event, tell the security or venue staff.
• Resolve within the club, society, network or group by talking to other committee members, and someone must talk to individual.
• For any serious issues or if you need further support contact Students’ Association Staff.