Community Guidelines

Southea Girls is a peer-run community group with a team of volunteers. 

 

Rules and guidelines are essential to make sure that everyone feels welcome and safe. 

 

Anyone who violates our rules is subject to warning or/and removal from the group and events. 

 

Southsea Girls reserves the right to add, change or remove the rules below at any time, at their own discretion.

 

The activities outlined below are STRICTLY prohibited:

1. Contacting an Admin member or Event Host outside of an event on their private mobile number without their permission. If you have questions regarding an event, please use the WhatsApp community groups, our social media channels, or email info@southseagirls.com
 

2. Sharing the contact details of Admin team, Event Hosts, or others within Southsea Girls with others without permission. Before sharing any contact information with anyone else, you must have the clear consent of the individual whose details you wish to share. We expect all members to respect the privacy and confidentiality of others.
 

3. Showing up to our events unannounced. Please RSVP to any events you plan to attend via the website (southseagirls.com) if you do not have a valid ticket, you will not be given entry. We do not sell tickets on the door.
 

4. Bringing unapproved guests to events. For health and safety reasons, only Southsea Girls with tickets can attend meet-ups. If there is someone you wish to bring with you, please ensure they register for a ticket themselves, so we have a register of individual names.  

 

5. Coming to events late without notice. Members who arrive late to events can in some situations be refused admission or may be asked to wait if the delay is disruptive. In the case of dinner reservations, the rest of the group may order food prior to your arrival if you will be late.

Unless the event is specified as being casual with no specific start or end time, please be sure to communicate with the Host if you know you will arrive late for an event, and provide an estimate on when you expect to arrive. Sometimes being late can be inevitable and Hosts can absolutely empathise with this, but notification is hugely appreciated. The same goes for no longer being able to attend an event. 

 

6. Abusive language towards the Admin team, Event Hosts, members, guests and the general public.

 

7. Any distribution or use of illegal drugs will incur an instant ban to all events and removal from the Southsea Girls community. 

 

8. Bringing dangerous or unauthorised materials such as explosives, firearms, weapons or other similar items to events, will incur an instant ban and removal from the Southsea Girls community.

 

9. Rudeness to the Admin team, Event Hosts, members, guests and the general public.

 

10. Verbal, physical, sexual, discriminatory, visual etc. harassment of the Admin team, Event Hosts, members, guests and the general public. This includes online harassment.

 

11. Actual or threatened violence toward any individual or group. This includes any conduct endangering the life, safety, health or well-being of others.

 

12. Failure to follow rules or procedures.

 

13. Bullying or taking unfair advantage of the Admin team, Event Hosts, members, guests and the general public.

 

14. Failing to cooperate with the Admin team or Event Hosts.

 

15. Engaging in sexist, transphobic, ableist, racist, homophobic and other oppressive or discriminatory behaviour.

 

16. Spamming and/or promoting activities, groups or services, whether professional or non-professional, yours or someone else’s. If you would like to promote something that is relevant to the group, contact the Admin team via social media or by emailing info@southesagirls.com  

 

17. Blocking the Admin team. Those who do so will be immediately removed from the group. If you have an issue with any Admins open up a dialogue and we can try to resolve the issue.

 

18. Making a booking at a venue using the Southsea Girls name without prior content from a member of the Admin team. It is imperative that events organised outside of the official Southsea Girls events are clearly marked as unaffiliated to avoid confusion for those attending, and the venue hosting. All official Southsea Girls events can be found on our website, if you are unsure if an event has been organised by us, we recommend checking this, or emailing us. 

 

19. Public, undiplomatic complaints about Admins, Event Hosts, members, guests and/or the general public. We expect you to handle your feelings and concerns with discretion and tact. If you have a complaint that needs to be resolved, please email us at info@southseagirls.com 

 

20. Bringing personal disputes to the group. Do NOT attempt to involve other members. This includes negative and/or unverified gossip. Such behaviour is unhelpful and influences other members’ enjoyment of events in the group.
 

21. Drinking alcohol irresponsibly/excessively. Please remain within your limits. This is for your safety during and after events. Intoxication can also cause discomfort for guests, and we want this group to feel safe and enjoyable.

 

22. Using a fake profile. It’s important that we have full transparency of who is in our WhatsApp group, or attending events. We require you to have a name and profile photo. False names or profiles will be removed with an instant ban. 

 

23. Using this as a place to “pick-up.” This is not a singles’ group. Members who get along can of course decide to date, but please do not use this group to seduce others. Members found to be attending events or sending unsolicited messages to others with the goal of “chatting them up” will be immediately banned without warning. This is intended to be a safe, relaxed and respectful environment for everyone.

 

The following additional rules particularly apply to all conversations during our meetups, both online and in-person:

 

1. What is said in the group, stays in the group. Southsea Girls is intended to be a safe space. Privacy, anonymity and confidentiality need to be respected and upheld for this to be possible. Personal information shared may not be discussed with others, within or outside of the group.

 

2. Please remember that these are intended to be safe and non-judgemental spaces. Everyone is expected to be respectful towards those with different views and experiences. Please be mindful of using judgemental language. For example, instead of saying “That’s wrong”, consider saying “My experiences have been _______.”

 

3. Sensitive topics are expected to be handled delicately and respectfully. Graphic details of abuse, for example, can potentially trigger other members who have had similarly traumatic experiences.

 

4. Please do not ask for personal information about others or pry for further details of what is shared. No-one should feel obligated to disclose details that they wish to keep private.

 

5. Please be mindful of presenting your opinions as facts: One size does not fit all, and your way isn’t the only way.

 

6. Unless advice is requested, we ask that participants simply listen, empathise and show support rather than providing unsolicited advice. As above, please be mindful of being prescriptive: If you share what worked for you, be aware of the fact that it may not apply to everyone. Different things help different people. You can share what you found helpful, but please do not tell others what they should or shouldn’t do.

 

Note on Private Messaging:

Please do not private message outside of the WhatsApp Community without consent. When initiating private correspondence, please bear in mind that the recipient always reserves the right to decline requests to speak privately – they are under no obligation to reply or to engage in a dialogue with you. 

 

Please respect the boundaries of others: Don’t persist if the recipient is uncomfortable, chooses not to respond or asks you to stop. As per our above rules, harassment is strictly prohibited, so please use private messaging respectfully and safely. Breaching these guidelines on private messaging will result in an immediate ban without warning.

 

Note about our Admin team
The Southsea Girls admin team and event hosts are peers. We contribute our time because we care. We all do our best, but we are only human and none of us are perfect. Please treat us with the same understanding you would want to receive.

 

Banning Procedure

All cases of a substantial breach of our rules above will result in an immediate ban without warning. Those who have been banned will be notified via email. 

 

Admin will not engage in further discussion or debate on the banning, and no information will be shared that could potentially lead to the identification of any specific person involved in the case.

 

In some circumstances, the admin team might choose to issue a warning before banning a member on the next offence, however, this is subject to the discretion of Admin and strictly on a case-by-case basis.

 

If a crime is being/has been committed, the police will be informed.

 

If you have violated our rules and feel this has been unfairly handled, you can make a complaint to the Southsea Girls team info@southseagirls.com and the Admin team will liaise with the Meetup community team to follow up with your complaint.

 

Conclusion

A secure environment, a strong foundation and solid principles empower this group to thrive so that it can continue to be a valuable addition to the Southsea Girls community.

 

Thank you for your cooperation, and support.