Anti-Discrimination & Non-Harassment Policy

It is the Reclamation Collective’s policy to prohibit intentional and unintentional discrimination or harassment of any individual by another person on the basis of any, but not limited to, protected classification including, actual or perceived race, creed, color, religious or non-religious affiliation, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex, disability, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, arrest record, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. The purpose of this policy is not to regulate individuals’ personal morality, but to ensure we are upholding the Reclamation Collective’s shared values, ensuring that every individual who participates in our community in any capacity is treated with dignity and respect, free from any form of harassment.

Sexual Harassment

It is the Reclamation Collective’s policy to prohibit harassment of any individual on the basis of sex or gender. The purpose of this policy is not to regulate personal morality within the Reclamation Collective. It is to ensure that at the Reclamation Collective all individuals are free from sexual harassment. While defining precisely what types of conduct could constitute sexual harassment can be nuanced and there is a wide range of behavior that may violate this policy, even if such behavior does not violate the law, examples of prohibited behavior include: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, obscene gestures, displaying sexually graphic magazines, calendars or posters, sending sexually explicit e-mails, text messages and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, such as uninvited touching of any kind or sexually related comments. Depending upon the circumstances, improper conduct also can include sexual joking, vulgar or offensive conversation or jokes, unsolicited commentary on someone’s physical appearance, graphic details about your own or someone else’s sex life, or teasing or other conduct directed toward a person because of their gender identity or expression which creates a hostile environment.

Grievance Reporting Procedure

If an individual feels that they have been subjected to conduct which violates this policy, they are encouraged to submit a grievance form: RC Grievance Form

In an effort to promote clarity and fairness throughout the grievance process, we have established the following processes to review reported grievances:  

• The grievance form will be received by the Executive Committee on Reclamation Collective’s Board of Directors, through Google Forms.

• If the person toward whom the grievance is directed is a member of the Executive Committee, the person submitting the grievance form should follow the instructions in the Google Form to send it to the Representation, Reciprocity, Accessibility, & Accountability Committee instead.

• If a grievance is filed against a participant in a support group, a group facilitator, an employee, or any other independent contractor, the grievance form will be reviewed by the Board of Directors. 

• If a grievance is filed against a board member, the grievance form will be reviewed by the rest of the board members without the presence of the reported party.

• The person who submitted the grievance form will be contacted within 10 business days to be informed of the grievance process. A member of the Executive Committee will provide updates on a biweekly basis until the means of response and repair has been seen through to fruition by the Board of Directors.

Our Commitment

The receiving committee commits to holding an emergency committee meeting within 10 business days of a received grievance report. The Board of Directors will emit an initial response within 10 business days of the committee meeting.

All grievances will be kept confidential to the extent possible, but confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. In addition, Reclamation Collective will not allow any form of retaliation against individuals who report grievances or who cooperate in the investigation of such reports in accordance with this policy. If an individual feels they have been subjected to any such retaliation, they should report it in the same manner in which the community member would report a claim of perceived harassment under this policy. Violation of this policy including any improper retaliatory conduct can result in the discharge of an individual’s relationship with this organization. 

Bad Faith Reports

The Reclamation Collective believes and stands with survivors. We will always review a grievance report recognizing the valid concerns survivors may have regarding systemic injustice, which may deter them from coming forward. We also acknowledge that reporting and policing practices are often weaponized against marginalized communities, especially Black and Indigenous groups. In order to act in alignment with our values and this policy, the Reclamation Collective reserves the right to not hold space for reports made in bad faith that, intentionally or unintentionally, discriminate against an individual or party that is in collaboration with this organization. The Reclamation Collective is prepared to invest in the repair process of those impacted by a false report by way of refunds for services rendered and other forms of reparation deemed necessary for repair.

Reasonable Accommodations

At the Reclamation Collective, we want to honor the capacity of all the individuals collaborating to make this organization’s existence possible. Under federal and state laws in the United States, employers with 15 or more employees working 20 or more weeks a year are required to provide reasonable accommodations to the known disability of a qualified disabled person, unless it can be demonstrated that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship to the employer (for more information, please refer to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights). Although at this time we are not bound by these laws given our total employee size, we understand that our offerings would not be possible without the labor of everyone involved in the Reclamation Collective. Hence we encourage volunteers, facilitators, and contractors to request reasonable accommodations if needed. Individuals requesting reasonable accommodations may contact the Executive Director. Your accommodation will be reviewed by the Executive Committee, and you will be contacted once a decision is finalized. Please allow up to two weeks for an initial review. In the event that a request is not approved, you can request an appeal which will be reviewed by the Board of Directors. The Reclamation Collective is committed to approve requests in good faith and will strive to approve as many requests as possible within our capacity. In the event that a request is not approved, we strive to find a way to continue collaborating in the capacity that is possible for all parties involved. 

Last revised: 5/31/2024