Group Rules

These rules have been created to ensure everyone gets the most out of the experience of being part of the group and also ensures that the group operates in a safe and welcoming manner.

  • The Your Rheum group is made up of people of different ages with different backgrounds, life experiences and with different views. Members of Your Rheum need to treat each other with respect and sensitivity. This is to ensure that everyone is safe and comfortable during the time they are a member of Your Rheum.
  • As a member of Your Rheum, you may have access to confidential information about research projects that are in development. An agreement to respect the confidentiality of the information that you receive forms part of the consent form that we ask you to sign
  • All members are expected to observe and abide by the following ground rules:
    • Start and end meetings on time
    • Follow the plan for the meeting
    • Prepare for the meeting e.g. read information, if we need to
    • Stay on task, focus on what we are doing
    • Make sure that we listen to one another and try not to have any side conversations
    • Accept that we will have differences of opinion but make sure we respect one another’s views
    • Make sure that at the end of the meeting there is a plan of action

The following activities are not allowed within the group (both face-to face and online):

  • Posting material or discussing topics of an offensive, discriminatory or inappropriate nature
  • Posting material or discussing topics that encourage illegal activities or activities illegal to members of the group under 18 e.g. drinking or smoking
  • Using the group to try and sell products or services to another member
  • Continually posting or discussing irrelevant topics
  • Swearing
  • Passing on other members’ information to those outside the group without their explicit permission, or in the case of those under 18, their parents or caregivers’ explicit permission
  • Arranging to meet-up with any member of the group under the age of 18 without their parent’s knowledge and consent
  • Any form of bullying- members should take into account the fact that when posting content online there is a higher chance of it being misunderstood or misconstrued, even if that is not the intent