Ethical Framework

The People’s Educational Forum is committed to knowledge practices that are non-extractive, accountable, and led by communities. This Ethical Framework sets the standards for gathering testimony, managing information, protecting participants, and remaining answerable to the communities with which the Forum works.

The framework applies to every Forum activity, from hearings and oral-history projects to artistic testimony, popular education, and community forums. It also governs the digital archive and any research produced under the Forum’s name.

Consent is ongoing and community-led. Before testimony is gathered, the Forum will explain how it may be used and how long it will be retained. Participants will also be told who may access it. Consent will be recorded in writing and revisited at every stage of the Forum’s work.

Witnesses may withdraw their consent at any time, after which their testimony will be removed from public access. Where testimony contains collective knowledge or culturally sensitive material, consent must also be obtained from the relevant community authority.

Participants control their own testimony. Each witness will decide how their testimony is attributed. They may be identified by name, use a pseudonym, or attribute their testimony collectively to their community.

Witnesses will determine what may be made public and what must remain restricted or confidential. These decisions will be recorded in the archive’s metadata and upheld through appropriate access controls. Nothing will be published without the witness’s explicit permission.

The Forum will minimise harm and prevent re-traumatisation. Truth-telling processes will follow trauma-informed practices. Witnesses may bring a support person and take breaks whenever they need them. Counselling or culturally appropriate support will be available throughout the process.

No one will be pressured to disclose more than they wish to share. Staff and volunteers will receive training in trauma-informed practice and cultural safety. Support will also be available to people affected by listening to testimony.

The archive belongs to the communities that contribute to it. The Forum’s digital archive will be governed according to the principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and cognitive justice. Communities will retain ownership of their stories.

The Archive Governance Policy, published on the Forum’s website, will set out the conditions under which materials may be accessed. The relevant community authority will determine access, with the Forum acting as steward rather than owner.

The Forum will neither sell testimony to third parties nor license it for commercial use. A trusted heritage organisation may support long-term preservation, but control will remain with the contributing communities.

Testimony will be held in relationship, not extracted. The Forum will approach communities as partners in a shared political and pedagogical process. Testimony will be gathered in ways that centre the witness’s wellbeing and autonomy.

These methods may include Maatzoedzaduara action-learning circles, through which testimony is prepared collectively and with care. The Forum will remain accountable to witnesses for how their stories are used and represented throughout the life of the project.

The Forum will remain accountable to communities. Accountability mechanisms will be developed with participating communities. Regular assemblies will provide space for concerns to be raised, while an accessible and confidential complaints process will offer another route to resolution.

Any community may withdraw from the Forum’s processes without penalty. The Steering Collective will be responsible for ensuring that these commitments are upheld.

Institutions that have benefited from empire will not control the process. Universities, museums, foundations, and civil society organisations may provide funding or expertise and may host hearings. Any institution that has benefited materially from British imperialism must disclose that relationship as a condition of participation.

These institutions will have no decision-making power over the Forum’s mandate, evidence-gathering methods, interpretation of testimony, or recommendations.

Disputes will be addressed through restorative processes. When conflict arises within the Forum or between the Forum and a participating community, the first step will be facilitated dialogue. Where appropriate, the community involved may request mediation or a traditional dispute-resolution process. The Forum’s procedures for resolving disputes will be published on its website.

This framework is a living document. It will be reviewed every two years in consultation with participating communities. Amendments will be made only with the consent of those affected. The framework will continue to evolve as the Forum learns from practice.