This guide shows BarCamp Philly volunteers how to respond when someone raises a concern under the SafeSpaces Policy, the event’s code of conduct. Your role is simple: make sure people are safe, listen, and bring in an admin. Admins make every decision about warnings and removals.
If anyone is in danger, call first
Threats, violence, a weapon, a medical emergency, or anyone who won’t leave after being asked:
Penn Public Safety: 215-573-3333(or dial 511 from any campus phone, or 911)
Give the location: Jon M. Huntsman Hall, 3730 Walnut Street, plus the floor and room. Stay on the line. Then alert on-site security (the front desk officer or a roaming patrol) and Joe Taylor Jr.
Know who’s who
- Volunteers wear green VOLUNTEER badges. You listen, keep people safe, and get an admin.
- Admins wear yellow ADMIN badges. They talk with the people involved and decide what happens next.
- Lead responder for the whole event: Joe Taylor Jr. (admin). His contact info is on the back of your badge.
- Security: Penn Public Safety’s contracted officers staff the front desk and patrol the building throughout the day.
Badge colors are separate from attendee lanyards. Lanyards signal photo consent: green (okay to photograph), yellow (ask first), red (no photos or recording).
Match the response to the situation
A friendly, private reminder
For small, likely unintentional slips, such as:
- Photographing or filming someone wearing a red or yellow lanyard
- Recording a session without the speaker’s consent
- An attendee who’s uncomfortable in a session and isn’t sure they can leave
Speak calmly and one-on-one. Point to the policy, not the person.
If the behavior continues, or the person pushes back, move to Level 2.
Any report of harassment or harm
- Someone tells you they’ve been harassed, demeaned, or touched or followed without wanting it
- Slurs, insults, or comments targeting someone’s identity
- Behavior that continues after a reminder
- A session someone found harmful or that crossed a line
- Someone who appears intoxicated
Take the report (steps below), then find an admin right away. Leave the conversation with the person reported to the admin.
Call Public Safety, then security, then an admin
- Threats of violence, physical assault, or a weapon
- A medical emergency
- Someone who refuses to leave after an admin asks them to
Use the emergency box at the top of this page. Your own safety comes first; leave any physical intervention to security and police.
How to take a report
- Offer a quieter spot. Ask if they’d like to step aside, and whether they want a friend with them. The quiet room works well; its room number is assigned the morning of the event, so ask an admin if you don’t have it.
- Listen and believe. Let them tell it their way. Thank them for telling you. Save the questions for the details below.
- Ask what they need right now. Some people want action; some only want it on record; some want to leave. Each is a valid answer.
- Write it down (phone notes are fine):
- Your name, and the time and place of the report
- When and where it happened
- What happened, in their words
- Who was involved: name from their badge, or a description
- Any witnesses
- What they’d like to happen, and how to reach them
- Be honest about next steps. Promise action, not outcomes.
“Thank you for telling me. I’m going to bring in one of the admins now. They’ll handle it, and this stays with the people who need to know.”
- Bring in an admin in person, or through the organizer Slack channel if you can’t find one. Hand over your notes.
- Email your notes to info@barcampphilly.org before the end of the day, with “SafeSpaces incident report” in the subject line.
What admins can do
Knowing this helps you set accurate expectations. Depending on the situation, an admin may:
- Talk with the person reported and remind them of the policy
- Speak with a presenter about a session right away
- Ask someone to leave a session or the event. Removal is without a refund, per the registration terms.
- Ask anyone who is clearly intoxicated to leave the venue
- Involve venue security or Penn Public Safety
- Follow up with the person who reported after the event
Keep it private
- Share details only with admins handling the report.
- Keep names and specifics out of social media, public Slack channels, and hallway conversation.
- If attendees ask what happened, a simple “the admins are handling it” is enough.
Look after yourself
Hearing a hard report can stay with you. Tell an admin if you need a break or want to talk it through afterward. Handing a situation off early is the right call, never a failure.
Contacts
| Emergency | 215-573-3333 (Penn Public Safety, 24/7), 511 from a campus phone, or 911 |
|---|---|
| On-site security | Front desk officer or roaming patrol (contracted by Penn Public Safety) |
| Lead responder (all event) | Joe Taylor Jr. Phone on the back of your badge. |
| All admins | Organizer Slack channel; yellow ADMIN badges |
| Incident reports | info@barcampphilly.org, during or after the event |
Related: SafeSpaces Policy · Guidelines · Accessibility