Community Rules

1. By joining a supportive chat group, YOU COMMIT TO BEING AN ACTIVE AND RESPECTFUL member of the group.

2. We do not allow people to lurk. Participants need to be active or they will be removed. If you don’t benefit from a supportive group chat, others will! We need your spot for them!

3. Rules we honor:

• CONFIDENTIALITY

  • Whatever is said in the chat stays there. We do not gossip.

  • No screenshots/screen recording

• RESPECT

  • We can talk casually and freely. We respect each other's values

  • Remain open to others, respect their ideas and opinions

  • Agree to Disagree: Your opinions are yours, no one else's.  Remaining respectful and kind are critical to the safety and comfort of group members.

  • Use preferred pronouns (emojis/names may not be indicative of a person’s preferred pronouns.)

  • We have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying or harassment. Members who engage in racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other harassing behavior will be removed from Give Us The Floor. 

  • If you are uncomfortable with a topic being discussed such as drugs, sex, etc. It is totally okay to speak up and ask for what you need in the group

  • Members who know each other in real life can't be in the same group. This helps avoid unnecessary conflict and keeps the conversation open to everyone.

• SAFETY

  • DO NOT share identifying personal details i.e. Last name, social media handles, School, Street, phone #, Sports Team, etc.

  • Make sure your last name is not a part of your username

  • It is not allowed to use one of your social media username as your username. You must create a new one

  • Groups are not used for dating or romance

  • No one-to-one contact with other members is allowed

  • If you know any of the participants in your group or have contact with them before joining the group, you have an obligation to let us know so we can change you to a group that is totally anonymous.

  • Posting nude photos or videos of yourself or others, or photos or videos of yourself or others engaging in inappropriate activities (sexual activity, drug and alcohol abuse, etc.) is not allowed in the Supportive Group Chats as well as any other inappropriate content

  • All participants are asked to use the reporting feature in the app if an uncomfortable situation or a conflict arises and if some participants are breaking the community rules. It is everyone's responsibility to ensure the comfort and safety of all participants in the group

  • If you sense a bully/predator, trust your intuition and reach out to the adult team, either DM in the app or use the reporting feature in the conversation

  • If a member of the chat group is involved in, threatened by, or could potentially be involved in a situation that is violent in any way (self-harm or harm to others), this includes suicide, child abuse, violence, or murder,  ALL GROUP MEMBERS are responsible for immediately reporting it

  • If it is an urgent situation where someone might be harmed, please call 911

  • If you need immediate support, contact a hotline: we’ve listed a few for you in the “Tip Hub” section of the app. 

• EMPATHY 

  • Try to understand where someone is coming from. Be kind and respectful

• OKAY TO PASS

  • We always have the right to pass. No one forces anyone to express themselves. Do what's best for you as an individual.

4. Communication skills & Tips

• In life, more than 80% of communication is nonverbal. When chatting over text we have to be more creative in expressing emotions, so using emojis, memes, gifs, etc. is highly encouraged and we must be conscious when choosing our words.

• When reading chats, we must be aware that we may read something differently than it was meant. Miscommunication happens all the time and even more so over text. If you don’t understand something or think you might be reading something differently, ask questions!!!

• Remember to scroll up if you haven’t checked the chat in a day or so! This way you can take breaks as needed, but also can stay up to date with your group members

If you are harassed or treated inappropriately by other members (s) or adult(s), or if you are the witness of such behavior, you must report it immediately to an adult volunteer or employee, or a teen group facilitator. If ever you don’t feel comfortable reporting it or can’t say anything, then email Kimba right away at kimba@giveusthefloor.org (Give Us The Floor’s Supportive Group Chat Coordinator). If someone is hurting you or another member, then that person can potentially hurt others. It is critical to stop this person.

Note: Give Us The Floor runs background checks on every adult in contact with teen members.

A Mandated Reporting Situation for the adult team is if a member is involved in, threatened by, or could potentially be involved in a situation that is violent in any way (self-harm or harm to others). This includes suicide, child abuse, violence, or murder.