A list of rules is something common to find on a course syllabus, or even hanging up inside of a classroom. The rules are generally predefined and enforced by the teacher. This model insinuates that the rules are just, permanent, and not up for discussion. Shifting the dynamic so that power is shared between educators and learners creates clarity and eases fear. Students do not have to wonder which rules apply to them, and in what capacity. They are not arbitrary, and are agreed upon by the entire community.

Establishing community guidelines is effective when done in the following five steps:

1. Invite students/learners to think about how they would like to be treated in the learning space. A good question to ask is “How do we want to treat each other while we’re in this space?” Allow students to answer on their own by writing their response on sticky notes or in a journal. 
2. Facilitate the sharing of responses. If using sticky notes, group similar ideas together, and read each response aloud. If answers were written individually, ask for volunteers to share what they wrote. Give students the opportunity  to ask clarifying questions and discuss each suggested guideline. If a response is similar to another, decide together if they should be grouped together or be considered its own.
3. If a variation of the following guidelines have not been contributed already, add them to suggestions:
   1. Maintain a Brave Space. Although we would like to create a safe space, we can not always ensure that what someone else says or does will make everyone feel safe (e.g., if a student makes a comment about violence, it may make other students feel unsafe). But, we can agree to cultivate a space where everyone feels brave enough to speak up when they do not feel safe or when they hear or see a situation that may make another student feel unsafe. This also means being brave enough to accept being called out and work towards reconciling. 
   2. Trust people’s experiences, even if they are not your own. We all come from different backgrounds, 
   3. Assume positive intent. Ask clarifying questions if you do not understand someone’s intentions. If you feel their intentions are malicious, be brave enough to call it out, and start a dialogue.
4. Compile a final list of the community guidelines, and read them to the class. Ask everyone to agree to being held accountable to the guidelines. Be clear that you, the teacher/educator/facilitator, will not be exempt, and that they should hold you accountable as well.  Ask for a verbal/visible yes from each student. 
5.  Place the community guidelines in a place in the room where they are visible to everyone, so that they can be referenced as needed. This is also a good practice so that if there is a visitor, they know what to expect while in the space.