Volunteering agreement

All volunteers at AlterHeros must adhere and respect the following rules:

General rules

• I have read and understood the organization’s code of ethics.
• I will not discriminate based on race, color, religion, age, sex, ethnic origins, langue, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Above and beyond these points, I will help extinguish any and all forms of discrimination.
• I am responsible for the quality of the services I offer.
• I recognize the limits of my training and my knowledge, and I only offer services that I’m qualified to offer.
• I will not speak on the behalf of AlterHeros, nor engage AlterHeros in any kind of responsibility unless I have explicit instructions to do so.
• I will participate in regular activities, meetings or sub-committees I’m part of, on an ongoing basis.
• I will not divulge and I will keep confidential, all user codes, passwords, names of participants being used by the websites administrative body (website, databases, etc)
• I will not divulge and I will keep confidential, all privileged information shared at meetings, through e-mail or by any other method whether electronic or not. I will not divulge any information unless I have the explicit instructions to do so by the AlterHeros administration.
• I understand that my services are not remunerated, even if I participate in the volunteer compensation program.

Editorial Team

• When participating in researching content to republish an article on the website, I mention the source, the author and the website where the original article was first published.
• Any form of copying or calling ones work original, when it actually belongs to someone else is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.  Anyone found copying will be terminated immediately.
• When I work as a writer for the editorial team, I always mention the source(s) and reference(s) at the end of the article.  This applies for the content of the article as well as for the pictures used in the article.
• I recognize that AlterHeros holds all rights and intellectual property over the information that I’m writing, within the context of my functions, as a volunteer.

Outreach Team

• I stay objective towards all situations that could happen within the framework of the services I provide and I take into account the limits of my experience.
• I assist users to the best of my abilities to find and to get professional help, by referring them to pertinent community services when the help needed is outside AlterHeros’ field of specialization.
• I will not answer specific theoretic questions unless I have the professional training or qualifications or knowledge to do so.
• I will not use humor or misplaced words or comments or general or hurtful commentary or any examples that could be misinterpreted.
• I will not try to have a private chat by any means electronic or otherwise or meet a user in person. I am not to divulge my personal coordinates like e-mail, phones number, etc.
• I am never to transmit a person’s confidential information if these have not been revealed publicly by the person himself/herself. I will follow any and all rules set fourth by Canada’s new privacy act of 2004.
• I can express my disapproval by explaining my point of view, this while respecting the opinions of others, and not affecting the convictions and intentions of the other person.
• I accept that an Expert profile be posted on our public website, and that all content that I write, including answers to questions, be linked to my Expert profile.
• About this profile, I accept to publish a picture of myself (or avatar), my fullname (or pseudo name) as well as a description of my work and academic experiences relevant to my volunteering work at AlterHeros

Development team and Promotion team

• During the course of my implication with AlterHeros, it is possible that I will be exposed to professional secrets belonging to the organization.  By professional secrets, we mean, but not limited to the following points:
  • Technical information: passwords, connection details, source coding, databases, methods, procedures, forms, compositions, systems, techniques, inventions, machines, software and research results.
  • Business information: user lists, price lists, financial and marketing details, production details, merchandising details or the business plan.
• During my implication, and at any moment after the end of my implication with AlterHeros. I will not use privileged and private information for personal or non-personal reasons or for profit or non-profit business reasons, nor divulge or reveal to others; professional secrets, confidential information and any other private information from the organization, under the reservations of this agreement.
• At the end of my implication with d’AlterHeros :
  • I must return all documents and other property belonging to the organization, including but not limited to; manuals, correspondences, lists of users, software, source files, source codes and all material or copies linked to the organization or obtained during my mandate. I am not authorized to keep copies or notes of this type of privileged information.
  • The organization reserves the right to advise all potential or future employers or third parties about the existence of this agreement, and has the right over decretory injunctions in the case where there is rupture of the contract.
  • This agreement links the representatives, my personal successors, me and the interest/advantages of the organization.

The administrators of AlterHeros will:

• Provide support, solutions, documentation, information and resources necessary to doing the work of a volunteer;
• Create a healthy and creative environment within the AlterHeros team;
• Provide adequate training so the volunteer can better accomplish their tasks;
• Provide letters of reference attesting to the work of the volunteer.