ZOUK UNITY CONSENT CODE OF CONDUCT 

PURPOSE 

The purpose of the Zouk Unity Consent Policy and Code of Conduct is to keep  our community safe. In order to uphold standards of safety with integrity it is  necessary to have guidelines and provide processes of accountability for our  community. 

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APPLICATION 

The consent policy applies to everyone who enters Zouk Unity Classes,  events, and engages in our activities including participants, artists, and  DJs. By entering Zouk Unity Classes and events, you are agreeing to this Consent Code of Conduct. 

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IMPLEMENTATION 

If a personal boundary has been crossed or a consent incident has taken  place, please contact Zouk Unity team (Heidi Anastasia, Sunny Wo, Sara Lim  and Jeff Zhou), if you feel you are in immediate danger. You may also contact  Zouk Unity directly at zoukunitysydney@gmail.com. You may also fill out an  Incident Report Form (https://forms.gle/eh71PaBRQrQM99G48) online, either  during, or after the event. 

We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for all members of our  community, and will support individuals involved to report and address the  situation with compassion, discretion, and care. Once a consent incident has  been documented and reported, we will support individuals toward creating  accountability, reconciliation, and restoration of safety. 

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DEFINITION OF CONSENT 

Consent is an empowered decision rooted in personal agency. It is the giving  of permission or agreement to participate in an interaction or activity. Consent  is active not static, which means that at any point during an activity or  interaction, one’s consent may be withdrawn, even if it was given at the  outset. Consent is given freely and wholeheartedly with autonomy; it is not  hesitant, manipulated, or coerced.

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PRINCIPLES & PROTOCOLS FOR ENGAGING WITH CONSENT

Zouk Unity is committed to creating a safe haven of creativity and personal  growth for all participants. Here are our Community Consent guidelines of  etiquette, or Code of Conduct, so everyone feels safe and at choice. 

1. Consent First: All participants are encouraged to receive explicit verbal or  non-verbal consent before any interaction that involves physical contact.

2. Yes & No: “Yes” means yes. “No” means no. Hesitation or “Maybe” also  means “No”. 

3. Check In: Check in during any physical activity for another “Yes”. Ask  questions, talk, or clarify when ambiguous (e.g. Do you feel safe? Does  that feel good? Do you want to continue?). 

4. Consent Resets: A “Yes” once does not mean “Yes” in the future. Avoid making assumptions. 

5. Be Attentive: Respecting consent even in the absence of words. Watch  for cues in body language which may communicate that someone is  hesitant or uncomfortable with an interaction (i.e. averting eyes, nervous  laughter, frowning, non-responsive). If you pick up any cues, check in and  ask if the other person would like to end the interaction. 

6. Say or indicate Stop: Want an interaction to end but you don’t know what  to say? Use the word “Stop”, or otherwise indicate that you want to stop  the interaction. The word “Stop” is understood to mean you want an  interaction to end. 

7. Compliance: If someone says “Stop” to you, that means your interaction  ends immediately. 

8. Respect Individual Agency: Avoid convincing, coercing, or manipulating another person to engage with you in an activity or interaction when their  answer is “Maybe”, “No”, or “Stop”. 

9. Communicate: It is encouraged to talk about what just happened with the  individual to build and spread awareness. If you say “Maybe”, “No” or  “Stop”, the individual may respectfully ask for an explanation, but they are  not entitled to one from you. If you feel pressured, and/or if you don’t feel  comfortable talking to them, tell others what happened or speak to Heidi right away. We and the community are here to help. 

10. Contact: Contact a Zouk Unity Team member if you think you may have crossed someone’s  boundaries, had your boundaries crossed, or gotten into a questionable  situation around consent.  

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If you see or experience consent behaviour that is inconsistent with the above guidelines, please feel empowered to report it via  

the Incident Report Form - (https://forms.gle/eh71PaBRQrQM99G48)  immediately. 

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CONSENT INCIDENT PROTOCOLS 

There are various types of boundary-crossings; however, for the purposes of  our protocols and procedures we will place them into two basic categories:  minor and major consent incidents. 

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DEFINITIONS OF CONSENT INCIDENT 

Minor Consent Incident: Not checking-in, or accidentally overstepping  boundaries. This generally involves a dynamic where there was an ambiguity  in what the participants’ boundaries were. Interactions proceeded in the  absence of a clear verbalisation of “Yes” or “No”. The person whose  boundary was crossed may not have had the opportunity or ability to articulate  that they were not comfortable with an interaction before it happened, leaving  them feeling uncomfortable, violated, or unsafe.  

Major Consent Incident: A forceful crossing of boundaries after explicitly  being told “No” or “Stop” either verbally or nonverbally. A violation of this sort  is characterized by an attempted overpowering of an individual - of their ability  to leave the situation or to set their own physical personal boundaries easily,  freely, and with personal agency. This may include (but is not limited to):  harassment (including repeated questioning), assault, or abuse. In the case of  violations of sexual consent it may include: fondling or unwanted touching up  to and including penetration, or forcing someone to perform physical or sexual  acts of any kind. 

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ACCOUNTABILITY & RECONCILIATION FOR CONSENT INCIDENTS

Zouk Unity work with the ‘4 A’s of Accountability’: a framework for addressing  consent incidents and creating accountability, reconciliation, and restoration of  safety for our participants.  

• Acknowledgement: Both parties are encouraged to acknowledge that a  boundary was crossed and, if possible, to establish an account of the consent  incident that both parties can agree is accurate. 

• Apology: The person who crossed the boundary is encouraged to give an  appropriate apology to the person whose boundary was crossed. In the case  of minor consent incidents, this step may be enough to bring about  reconciliation.

• Amends: If appropriate, we will encourage the person who crossed the  boundary to make amends or in some way make up for the damages caused  to the person whose boundary was crossed. 

• For example if damage was caused to a physical item they owned, amends  could consist of paying the cost of its replacement. If there was injury caused  to the body, amends could consist of offering to pay relevant medical costs. In  the case of major violations, perhaps providing resources for the person to  have access to therapy or counselling with a service provider of their choice. Regardless of the degree or nature of the amends being made, the person  whose boundary was crossed has the right to decide what would be helpful or  unhelpful, not the person who crossed the boundary. 

• Action: The person who stepped over the boundary of consent commits to  take action to change their behaviour or mentality in some way so that they do  not repeat the mistake of crossing the boundary in a similar circumstance in  the future. This requires the person to consider what they could have done  differently to prevent the consent incident from taking place, and committing to  adjusting their behaviour in the future. For example, in the case of a minor  consent incident, it may be a commitment to being more attentive when  engaging in physical activities. In the case of a major consent incident, it may  be committing to seek professional help, training, or therapy of some sort. At  each stage, the person whose boundary has been crossed will be consulted to  see if they would like to go to the next stage or if they are content and feel  supported sufficiently with the stage we have reached. (i.e. Is  acknowledgement enough or do we need to move toward an apology? If yes,  is an apology enough or should we seek amends? Would amends be enough  or should we seek action?). 

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REPORTING CONSENT INCIDENTS - DURING THE EVENT

Zouk Unity team (Heidi Anastasia, Sunny Wo, Sara Lim, and Jeff Zhou) will be  available to receive and address reports of any consent or boundary crossing  situations and incidents of inappropriate behaviour.  

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All incidents reported through the online Incident Report Form (https://forms.gle/eh71PaBRQrQM99G48) will go to Zouk Unity team only. 

Minor Consent Incident Protocols: 

• First Minor Incident: Zouk Unity team will speak to both parties and  encourage a conversation toward reconciliation and restoration of safety using  the 4-A’s of Accountability model. They will also debrief with each party to  ensure they are in a stable emotional and psychological state and can safely  continue to participate at the event. 

• Second Minor Incident: The person who has violated Zouk Unity Consent  Code of Conduct for the second time will have their participation in the event’s activities suspended.

• In order for the suspension to be lifted: A successful reconciliation conversation between both parties using the 4-A’s  of Accountability model will take place. 

• Third Minor Violation: The person who has violated Zouk Unity Code of  Conduct for the third time will be banned, and not allowed back into the event. 

• Major Consent Violation Protocols: 

• First Major Incident: The person who has violated Zouk Unity Consent Code  of Conduct will be asked to leave and their participation suspended  immediately. Legal action may be considered. A ban from all future Zouk Unity  classes and events may be considered. Zouk Unity Team will spend time with  the person whose consent was violated to ensure the person is in a stable  emotional and psychological state and can safely continue to participate at the  event.  

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ONLINE INCIDENT REPORTING FORM 

All minor and major consent incidents reported will be requested to be  reported via the online Incident Report Form 

(https://forms.gle/eh71PaBRQrQM99G48). It will be encouraged for reports to  be specific in the description of the incident. 

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PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS 

Make your voice heard and help spread a culture of consent. For comments,  recommendations or questions please contact Zouk Unity. 

Policy Contact Information 

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Zouk Unity Team 

1. Heidi Anastasia 

2. Sunny Wo 

3. Sara Lim 

4. Jeff Zhou

zoukunitysydney@gmail.com

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Support Services 

Beyond Blue - 24/7 telephone and online chat services with counsellors 

Ph: 1300 224 636 

Chat: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/support-service/chat 

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Lifeline – 24/7 crisis support online, by text and by phone. 

Ph: 13 11 14 

Text: 0477 13 11 14 

Chat: https://www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat/ 

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1800RESPECT – 24/7 service providing support for those who have experienced or are at risk of family, domestic violence and sexual assault. 

Ph: 1800 737 732 

Web: https://www.1800respect.org.au/help-and-support/telephone-and-online-counselling 

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NSW Mental Health Line - 24/7 phone service which provides links and referrals to mental health services 

Ph: 1800 011 511 

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Transcultural Mental Health Line – phone service which provides information for mental health services for those from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. 

Ph: 1800 648 911