GOVERNANCE, ETHICAL CONDUCT AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 25, 2024

1. Mandoline Hybride mandate

Mandoline Hybride‘s mission is to develop contemporary art in its various forms, with dance as its anchor. Mandoline Hybride‘s activities support a large number of arts professionals, researchers and curators, whether through its broadcasts, training courses, services or research and production activities. 

Its mandate revolves around multiple initiatives (Regards Hybrides, Salon58, FURIES – contemporary dance festival, L’Hybride – café & bookshop), which require constant monitoring to ensure that they remain relevant to the needs and values of the communities they serve.

2. Principles and definitions

2.1 Principles

Mandoline Hybride carries out a mission of public interest, and must fulfill this mission with professionalism, integrity and fairness, in order to preserve and strengthen the bonds of trust that characterize the organization.

This Governance, Ethical Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy sets out the values, standards and principles of ethics and conduct intended to guide and shape the behavior of Mandoline Hybride‘s administrators, employees, collaborators, volunteers and audiences. It aims to establish harmonious relations between the parties involved, as well as with the communities concerned by Mandoline Hybride‘s activities.

This policy is freely inspired by codes of ethics used by organizations in the cultural milieu, including those of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and Dazibao.

It contains appendices and tools to guide the decisions of the various people involved with the organization.

2.2 Definitions

The administrator sits on Mandoline Hybride‘s Board of Directors.

Team members” refers to all Mandoline Hybride employees, collaborators and volunteers.

Audience” refers to those who attend Mandoline Hybride activities as spectators, or who join in as participants.

2.3 Values

2.3.1 Professionalism

The notion of professionalism, in the context of Mandoline Hybride‘s activities, includes, on one hand, the duty of reserve and confidentiality that Mandoline Hybride‘s administrators and team members must demonstrate. This means, among other things, not taking a public stance on subjects, debates or controversies involving the beneficiaries of our projects or our key partners. It also means exercising discretion with regard to non-public and/or confidential data to which directors and team members are exposed in the course of their duties with the organization.

On the other hand, the notion of professionalism refers to the duty of impartiality or neutrality that Mandoline Hybride expects of its administrators and team members. This may mean displaying an impartial attitude towards the various people with whom the organization collaborates, or not letting personal inclinations take precedence over the organization’s needs and/or mandate when making decisions.

In addition, Mandoline Hybride expects its administrators and team members to demonstrate diligence in the performance of their duties (paid or volunteer), as well as cordiality and benevolence in their dealings with their many interlocutors. 

Finally, the notion of professionalism refers to the duty of administrators and team members to respect the organization’s orientations in their decisions and actions.

2.3.2 Integrity

Integrity refers to the trust Mandoline Hybride places in its administrators and team members. It involves transparency and sincerity in the interactions, relationships and communications that punctuate the work of everyone within the organization.  The notion of integrity enables the various people who collaborate in Mandoline Hybride‘s activities to feel secure in the presence of colleagues who are worthy of trust.

2.3.3 Equity 

The notion of equity is at the heart of Mandoline Hybride‘s orientations and guides many of the management’s decisions. Gender equality, the decolonization of practices and discourses, and the diversification of artistic programming are priorities for Mandoline Hybride. Within its various projects (Regards Hybrides, Salon58, FURIES, L’Hybride – café & bookshop), the presence of indigenous artists, racialized people, members of the queer, trans and/or minority communities is envisaged as a norm, not an exception. These people present their work and address the audiences in performances, meetings, panels and discussions. 

Mandoline Hybride also puts its values into action through shared curating, decolonial project promotion, self-education and knowledge-sharing with the cultural milieu. The organization is committed to supporting struggles against colonial domination, sexism, racism and discrimination, with concrete actions including targeted volunteer work, the dissemination of discourses linked to these struggles, the setting up of structuring projects to stimulate encounters between aboriginal and non-aboriginal artists, attention to the enhancement of aboriginal languages and traditions, and various forms of recognition of the territory.

Intersectional feminist perspectives also guide the company’s choices in all its initiatives. Mandoline Hybride adopts epicene language in its internal and external communications, favoring neutrality and, when necessary, using doublets and abbreviated doublets. Mandoline Hybride‘s various artistic programs (Regards Hybride, Salon58, FURIES, L’Hybride – café & bookshop) are driven by a firm commitment to highlighting the work of women, trans and non-binary people.

3. Ethical conduct

3.1 Ethical conduct of Mandoline Hybride administrators and team members

Administrators, employees, collaborators and volunteers must act with professionalism, integrity and fairness.

The administrator and team member is bound by discretion with regard to what they learn or become aware of in the course of their duties, and is required to respect the confidentiality of any information received in this way. 

The administrator and team member may not use confidential or privileged information communicated or transmitted to them for their own purposes. During and after their term of office, they have a duty not to take advantage of their participation. 

The administrator and team member must act impartially in all matters closely related to their areas of competence, expertise and mandate.

The administrator or team member must not go beyond their official duties to assist individuals or legal entities in their dealings with Mandoline Hybride, where this may result in preferential treatment.

The administrator or team member must not directly or indirectly use Mandoline Hybride‘s property, including leased property, or allow it to be used for purposes other than those officially approved by the Board of Directors and General Management. 

The administrator or team member shows consideration for all persons with whom they interact in the fulfillment of their duties. They show courtesy, attentiveness and discretion towards all those with whom they come into contact in the fulfillment of their duties.

The administrator or team member is aware of Mandoline Hybride‘s policies and commitments regarding harassment prevention, sustainable development and eco-responsibility, as well as the protection of privacy and the management of personal information. They act in accordance with these values in the fulfillment of their duties with Mandoline Hybride.

The administrator or team member must always, in case of doubt, show reserve or act in accordance with the values and ethical conduct contained in this document.

3.2 Ethical conduct of Mandoline Hybride audiences

At all times, audiences attending or participating in Mandoline Hybride activities must behave in a manner consistent with the following code of conduct:

  1. NON-VIOLENCE: No aggressive, violent or inappropriate comments or behavior towards Mandoline Hybride teams or other audiences will be tolerated. Respect for everyone’s physical, psychological and emotional integrity is a priority in our activities.
  2. SOLIDARITY: Gender equality, inclusion and accessibility are priority values for Mandoline Hybride. In this spirit, discriminatory comments and behavior will not be tolerated in any of our activities.
  3. CARE FOR PLACES & COMMUNITIES: Mandoline Hybride encourages respect and kindness towards one another, as well as towards the places and spaces occupied by the organization.
  4. CONSENT: Mandoline Hybride defends and applies the culture of consent. We value each individual’s autonomy and ability to determine his or her own needs, desires and limits. No non-consensual behavior will be tolerated during our activities.

Each activity carried out by Mandoline Hybride may make available to the public a specific Code of Conduct in full compliance with the principles set out above (see FURIES Code of Conduct – Appendix 2).

4. Conflict of interest management

4.1 Definition of a conflict of interest and its application

      1. A conflict of interest is any actual, apparent or potential situation that is likely to compromise the independence and impartiality required for the exercise of a function, or in which a person uses or seeks to use the attributes of their function to derive an undue advantage or to procure an undue advantage for a third party;
      2. Mandoline Hybride has drawn up a non-exhaustive list of conflict-of-interest situations and the procedure to be followed in such cases;
      3. The list and procedures below apply sometimes only to administrators, sometimes also to team members.

4.2 Examples of conflicts of interest

      1. When an administrator participates in a Mandoline Hybride project and receives remuneration as a result;
      2. When an administrator or team member is closely related to or has a significant relationship with a person benefiting from or employed by Mandoline Hybride projects;
      3. When an administrator or team member feels unable to act impartially regarding a person whose relationship with Mandoline Hybride needs to be discussed or reconsidered.

4.3 Procedure in case of conflict of interest

      1. On nomination, the administrator must complete and sign a form in which they declare their conflicts of interest in relation to the organization’s team members, partners and projects (see Appendix 1    f). This form must be updated annually or as required;
      2. At the start of each Board meeting, the administrator must declare any potential conflicts of interest in relation to the items on the agenda;
      3. In the event of a conflict of interest affecting the business of Mandoline Hybride, the administrator and team member must ensure that they do not seek to influence, either directly or indirectly, decisions concerning activities in which they or their close relations benefit personally;
      4. In the event of a conflict of interest involving a sensitive or problematic situation, the administrator or team member concerned by the conflict of interest may withdraw from the discussion while the point at the source of the conflict of interest is being raised. Other administrators or team members may also ask the person in conflict of interest to withdraw from the discussion.

4.4 Distribution

    1. The present policy is included in the welcome document for members of Mandoline Hybride‘s Board of Directors;
    2. This policy is included as an appendix to all employee contracts;
    3. This policy is available for download from the Mandoline Hybride website;
    4. The present policy is declined in the form of various tools and codes in order to be applied more specifically in given contexts (e.g. for FURIES audiences).

APPENDIX 1 – Declaration of interests form

I hereby declare the following situations of conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest for the fiscal year ________ in connection with my participation on the Board of Directors of Mandoline Hybride.

________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

First and last name__________________________________________________________

Signature__________________________________________________________________

Date______________________________________________________________________

APPENDIX 2 – FURIES Code of Conduct

To ensure everyone’s safety, FURIES presents this code of conduct and invites you to read it. With this tool, FURIES hopes to guide reflection, facilitate decision-making and prevent situations that could endanger the integrity of everyone at this event, which we hope will be festive and joyful!

NON-VIOLENCE & SOLIDARITY | Gender equality, inclusion and accessibility are priority values for FURIES. In this spirit, violent language and discriminatory behavior will not be tolerated at the festival.

CARE FOR PLACES & COMMUNITIES | FURIES invites you to show respect and kindness to one another, as well as to the places and spaces occupied by the festival. Keep in mind that these installations are inhabited year-round by a community that is welcoming during the festival. Be patient with local merchants during this busy summer period, and considerate of the hospitality of local residents.

ECORESPONSIBILITY | Act in an eco-responsible manner: encourage carpooling, use reusable containers, dispose of cigarette butts in the ashtrays provided, prioritize composting whenever possible, and bring your own wood to build a fire on the beach, rather than using driftwood – essential for maintaining the shoreline ecosystem!

CONSENT | FURIES defends and applies the culture of consent. We value individual autonomy and the ability to determine one’s own needs, desires and limits. No non-consensual behavior will be tolerated during the festival.

If you have any doubts about how to deal with a problematic situation, please contact one of our team members as soon as possible, who will be able to intervene, help you or refer you to a qualified person. If you wish to communicate by email, please use the following confidential address: accueil@mandolinehybride.com.

Enjoy your festival!

[PERMANENT URL: https://furiesfestival.com/en/code-of-conduct/] 

APPENDIX 3 – Resources