Introduction

The ESEA Outdoors UK community is for outdoors and nature enthusiasts self-identifying with East & Southeast Asian (ESEA) heritage who are passionate about anti-racism, representation and inclusion.

By joining the ESEA Outdoors UK community, you accept and abide by our following policies both online and at our organised meet-ups. The policies detail what we expect from you, and what you can expect from us.

  1. Our Principles
  2. Safer Spaces Policy
  3. Event Participation Statement
  4. Social Media Policy
  5. Health & Safety Policy
  6. Privacy Policy

💛 Any questions and comments get in touch with the ESEA Outdoors admins via email or Instagram.

Our Principles

  1. We exist to fight racism and celebrate ESEA representation in the UK outdoors. We have built this community to connect ESEA outdoor enthusiasts in the UK. While we appreciate we all have other interests, please be mindful of what you promote or discuss in the ESEA Outdoors WhatsApp community, and keep messages to these topics.
  2. We value inclusive representation, equity and equality within our own community, and we acknowledge the intersectionality of our community. All our events are ESEA-only unless otherwise specified. We operate a Safer Spaces policy during all activities, events, in our WhatsApp community and online: see below.
  3. Our community is run by its members, so please actively participate in building our community, engage with others and help to plan activities. We all run ESEA Outdoors in our free time, so please be respectful of the efforts of others and how you communicate with each other.
  4. We reserve the right to limit or delete comments on our Instagram page, and to remove or ban members from our WhatsApp, Heylo and Instagram and at in-person events who breach our Principles or Safer Spaces policy.

Our Safer Spaces policy

This policy is a guideline. It draws on the policy of others, including the Scottish BPOC Writers Network, and it should change as we learn and grow.

It should tell you what you can expect from ESEA Outdoors and what you commit to as part of our community, whether in-person at one of our events, in our Heylo community or online. We have high expectations of how we behave towards each other in any space we are a part of, within and outwith ESEA Outdoors.

Our community should be an inclusive and supportive space for all, and in particular for women (trans, intersex and cis) and all nonbinary, agender and gender variant people. Self-definition is at the sole discretion of that individual. We will not tolerate verbal or physical abuse, nor microaggressions to include racism, anti-Blackness, colourism, xenophobia, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, misgendering, ableism, islamophobia, anti-Semitism, incorrectly identifying one’s ethnic origins or race, or anything tantamount to hate speech or an attempt to belittle or abuse another person or persons. Pro-occupation, pro-war, pro-colonialism, fascism, and white supremacist sentiments will not be permitted on our platforms and in our spaces.

Our community is a diverse group. Some of us experience different kinds of oppression and violence at the same time, including racism, xenophobia, ableism, poverty, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, islamophobia, as well as others. We understand that often these oppressions are interlinked and cannot be separated. We are all from the ESEA community but not all of our oppressions are the same. We recognise and challenge the oppression & exploitation that some of us are harmed by and some of us benefit from. That is why we will always uplift and validate our community by recognising their multiplicities and creating spaces that make them feel welcomed and safe.

We acknowledge that diversity alone will not resolve access issues in the outdoors. We recognise that colourism and anti-Blackness exist within ESEA spaces and will not stand for either. We will welcome each other’s unique perspectives and narratives.

We abide by the following policy within our spaces or those we associate ourselves with:

  • Consent: before you touch anyone or discuss sensitive topics ask if they are comfortable with that. Don’t assume your physical & emotional boundaries are the same as other people’s. Consent also applies to communicating on WhatsApp. Although telephone numbers are visible to members on WhatsApp, having access to someone else’s telephone number does not automatically give you the right to use it, outside of the group chats. Unless someone has expressly consented to you that you can contact them directly outside of the group discussions, do not send other members unsolicited direct messages or calls, either within or outside this platform. Harassment of other members will not be tolerated.
  • Be aware of your privileges: including less obvious or invisible hierarchies. Think about how your words, opinions and feelings are influenced and who they might exclude or harm.
  • Calling out: if you have acted or spoken harmfully, even if unintentionally, someone will bring this up with you. If this happens, listen and reflect on what they are saying even if you think they may be wrong. Don’t try to absolve yourself of responsibility.
  • Learning: if you don’t understand something, just ask. You may be directed to a book, website etc to learn more. We are each responsible for our own learning and if we feel able, for sharing it with others.
  • Labour: please contribute whatever you can to amplifying ESEA voices; this will be different for everyone and that’s fine. It’s ok to make mistakes. Please show appreciation for the hard work of others and be considerate when you offer criticism. This is no one’s day job. We put in the work because we are committed to real change.
  • Social: like other communities we build social relationships outside of events and online spaces. We commit to this Safer Spaces policy wherever we are together. We reserve the right to refuse participation if members appear intoxicated.
  • Security: without their explicit consent, don’t use or share the names, photographs, telephone numbers, email addresses, social media profiles or other identifying details of people who have been involved in organising or attending our events. This makes sure that people outside of the group don’t hold information that could put participants at risk of harm.
  • Community accountability: we expect all our members to hold each other accountable, by calling out and challenging unacceptable behaviour during and outwith our activities, events or within our offline or online spaces. We have a responsibility to protect and uplift each other. If you have any concerns about your safety or the safety of others at any ESEA Outdoors event or in our online spaces, please notify one of the ESEA Outdoors administrators immediately. They are identified as ‘Community Admins’ on WhatsApp.

💛 ESEA love from the ESEA Outdoors admins

Event participation statement

ESEA Outdoors UK recognises that climbing and walking are activities with danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.

Adapted from the BMC Participation Statement

Notably, each member is responsible for their own actions and decisions while at an event, and to judge their own level of ability, experience, health and kit, and to take appropriate steps in safeguarding themselves. No member or leader is responsible for any other member, regardless of experience or seniority.

Health & Safety Policy

The purpose of this policy is to protect the safety and wellbeing of all members during ESEA Outdoors UK activities. Responsibility for implementation and review of the policy lies with the ESEA Outdoors UK admins and is undertaken on a 12 month basis.

Recording

Details of all accidents and near-misses are recorded within 24 hours of an incident and are available on request, so that lessons can be learned and future risks prevented.

Insurance

ESEA Outdoors UK maintains public liability insurance to protect against third-party claims. This coverage extends to official ESEA Outdoors UK activities and events including walking, hillwalking, running and camping, but not climbing (note for indoor climbing gyms may have their own insurance). Members are advised that this insurance does not cover personal injury or loss of personal property. Walk leaders and other volunteers are covered under our volunteer liability insurance. This insurance protects volunteers from personal financial loss due to claims arising from their volunteer duties. Volunteers must adhere to our policies and guidelines to maintain coverage.

It is important to note that while these insurance policies provide protection for ESEA Outdoors UK and its volunteers, members are encouraged to consider their own personal insurance needs, such as health and travel insurance, when participating in our activities. Members making ad-hoc arrangements between themselves to undertake a walk will not be covered by the group’s insurance.

Emergency procedures

In case of injury or illness, the walk leader will assess the situation and call for emergency services if necessary. All incidents must be reported and documented as detailed above.

Responsibilities

Event Organiser Responsibilities:

  • Perform a risk assessment (see template) before the event and develop a set of control measures to mitigate those risks, including but not limited to risks involving COVID-19, crowd control, walking and moving hazards, weather conditions, welfare, natural hazards, animals and dogs, and communications. See risk assessment template for a full list.
  • Action the control measures developed in the risk assessment during the event.
  • Conduct a brief safety briefing before each walk.
  • Carry a first aid kit and be familiar with basic first aid.
  • Have emergency contact information for all participants.

Event Participant Responsibilities:

  • Inform event leaders of any medical conditions or injuries that may be appropriate to the event
  • Read, understand and accept the ESEA Outdoors UK guidelines and policies as listed on this page, in particular with being responsible for judging your own ability as detailed in the Event Participation Statement.
  • Comply with the risk assessment by following instructions given by event leaders.
  • In the absence of additional instruction, participants are solely responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary equipment, clothing, food and drink on events, as detailed in the Event Participation Statement.

Social media policy

At ESEA Outdoors, we take content during our events and we collect content from our community. We encourage taking and sharing photos and videos to inspire and empower each other and to celebrate representation. We operate by the following policies regarding photography, social media and press:

  • We will seek your permission before any content that identifies you appears publicly on our social media, in press, or anywhere else where we have online presence. If you produce your own content on behalf of ESEA Outdoors UK, we request that you do similarly.
  • We will seek your permission to publicly reshare any content produced by you.
  • You must seek permission from all identifiable people that appear in any public content you make in relation to ESEA Outdoors UK.
  • We generally collect photos from our community using open-access Google Photos links. Google Photos requires a log-in and shows your profile picture and name. Whilst we use Google Photos for familiarity, we accept photos via other services if desired.
  • Photos shared on our Heylo community are visible to all other community members via the Member Album functionality.

Privacy Policy

What data we collect

For social media, photography and press policy, please see above. Outside Instagram, ESEA Outdoors UK activities are organised via our Heylo group. The login is created using personal data provided by you, including email address and name. We encourage you to use your personal name to build trust within our community. Optional data includes photos of yourself, icebreaker questions, and your location. We encourage you to provide these to introduce yourself to other community members. Only your name must be visible to other users of the website. Other personal details are visible by the Heylo admins only.

Occasionally, community events will be open to non-community members, for example during ESEA Heritage Month. Non-community members appear as “Guest” on event lists and your name will be publicly visible.

Occasionally, before or during events, we will collect emergency contact information if appropriate. All emergency contact information will be destroyed within 1 month of the event.

How we use your information

ESEA Outdoors UK takes your privacy seriously. We will only use your personal information to administer your account. In our Heylo community, your personal information is also subject to Heylo’s privacy policy which you are asked to accept upon joining. Learn more about Heylo’s privacy options here.

If provided, your provided location text is used, without other details, to populate our publicly-visible anonymous community map.

All communications from us to you will be via Heylo (via group chat, DM, push notification or email announcement), and never externally (such as WhatsApp or direct email), unless a prior expectation has been agreed, or for safety reasons (such as if you are uncontactable on Heylo). You may opt-out by leaving the relevant group chats or leaving the community.

We will never share your personal information with any third-parties unless with explicit direct permission from you, for example for the purpose of externally organised event registration where ESEA Outdoors UK has been invited to participate and you have agreed to register.

💛 Any questions and comments, or if you are unhappy with how your data is being used, get in touch with the ESEA Outdoors admins via email or Instagram.