Meeting hosts help create a safe, welcoming, and compassionate environment in which everyone can practise, learn, and participate freely.

The role of a meeting host is not to teach, advise, or direct others, but to support the meeting with kindness, impartiality, and care. Meeting hosts help the group stay grounded in the spirit of the Dharma while recognising that wisdom grows through shared experience rather than authority.

These guidelines reflect the spirit of the Five Universal Precepts — the gifts of fearlessness that we freely offer to ourselves and to one another.

1. Non-harm

I will help create an environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and welcomed.

I will avoid causing harm through my words, actions, or omissions and will respond to others with compassion, patience, and kindness.

2. Impartiality

My role is to host rather than lead.

I will remain neutral during discussions, allowing different perspectives to be heard without promoting my own opinions, beliefs, or preferences.

3. Boundaries and respect

I recognise that I am a meeting host rather than a teacher, therapist, or counsellor.

I will not offer personal spiritual direction, psychological advice, or recovery counselling beyond the scope of my role.

4. Confidentiality

I will treat personal information shared within meetings with respect and discretion.

I will not share another person’s experiences or disclosures outside the meeting without their permission, except where there is a serious concern for someone’s immediate safety.

5. Fairness and inclusion

I will strive to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate, regardless of background, identity, beliefs, experience, or confidence.

I will gently encourage quieter voices while ensuring that no one dominates the discussion.

6. Responding to difficulty

When disagreement or conflict arises, I will respond with calmness, curiosity, and compassion.

Rather than taking sides, I will help the group return to respectful dialogue and shared understanding.

7. Mindful communication

I will communicate truthfully, kindly, and skilfully.

I will avoid gossip, harsh or divisive speech, sarcasm, or language that humiliates or excludes others.

8. Service

Hosting a meeting is an act of service rather than a position of authority.

I will approach the role with humility, recognising that my purpose is to support the group rather than direct it.

9. Self-care

I will be mindful of my own wellbeing, recognise my limitations, and seek support when needed.

I will avoid taking on responsibilities that I cannot sustain with balance and care.

10. Accountability

I will remain open to feedback and willing to reflect honestly on my role as meeting host.

If I make mistakes, I will acknowledge them with humility and seek to repair any harm that may have arisen.

Our shared commitment

By following these guidelines, I commit to helping create RAFT meetings that are safe, welcoming, inclusive, and grounded in compassion, honesty, and respect.

This Code of Conduct is not simply a list of responsibilities, but a collection of gifts we freely offer to one another in order to create a fearless community. It is also a path of practice, inviting meeting hosts to cultivate wisdom, integrity, humility, and kindness while serving others.