The Contract is the floor — the non-negotiables. Drafted together across Weeks 1–5, signed in Week 6, hung on the wall all year. Breaking the Contract triggers a compass check (a reset conversation), not a punishment. The Contract is a promise we make to each other, not a list of rules a guide imposes.
These are the principles the guide brings to Week 1 as conversation starters. The studio refines, replaces, or adds — the final Contract is theirs, not yours. But these are the floors the guide will not let the studio go below.
Bodies stay our own. We don't wrestle, hit, or grab. We ask before touching (handshake, hug, high-five). When someone says no, no is the answer. When someone needs space, they get it.
When someone forgets a rule, we give a kind reminder. We don't yell. We don't shame. We don't mock. If we need help working it out, we ask a guide to facilitate — after we've tried first.
Fair doesn't mean the same. Some learners use tools others don't. Some take breaks others don't. We trust that. If we're confused about why someone has something, we ask a guide — not the person.
We come ready to learn. We use the schedule the way it's meant to be used. We ask for help when we're stuck. We give effort even when we don't feel like it.
Materials go back. Trash goes in the bin. The space stays a place we're proud to walk into. The Maintenance Captain leads, but it's everyone's job.
Especially with each other. Especially with ourselves. The guide is a partner in this, not a judge.
Breaking a Contract promise triggers a compass check — a short conversation, usually with a guide, sometimes with the affected peer. The structure:
Compass checks are not punishments. They are returns to the path. Every learner expects to have a few — that's part of being human in a tribe.
In Week 6, the Contract is finalized and physically signed by every learner. Some suggestions for how to make the signing feel real: