It is my pleasure to announce that Kep Peterson has accepted the position of Red Feather Roleplaying’s Ombudsperson!
The Ombudsperson has the following roles and responsibilities:
- They sit in on meetings of the Red Feather Roleplaying Board of Directors, and are welcome and encouraged to participate in Board discussions, though generally do not vote (except in cases of tiebreakers). They monitor the Board, provide feedback on how the game is doing, and make sure that the Board is behaving ethically.
- They are available as Red Feather Roleplaying’s “Department of Complaints and Kudos.” You can always submit feedback to them about things that are going well with the game, as well as things going poorly, and they will take your complaints and kudos to the Board.
- They are available to help mediate disputes. Kep has work experience with conflict mediation and resolution, and both players and staff are encouraged to approach her if they could use a mediator.
- They run RFR Board elections, except in cases where they themselves are a candidate up for election.
- They help run the Mark of the Red Feather initiative. For those new to our community: the Mark of the Red Feather is a small pin (red feather on a white background) worn by people who actively opt in to wearing them during game. Those wearing the pin commit to combatting the bystander effect by stepping in if they see problematic behavior (discrimination, harassment, violations of the Code of Conduct, etc.) at game. They also make themselves available to people who need someone to talk to during game, either because they’re overwhelmed, or experiencing problematic behavior and don’t know who to talk to, or if they have complaints about staff. The Mark of the Red Feather initiative is ultimately run by the Board via the Ombudsperson, not by staff, so people wearing Red Feather pins are good people to approach during game time if there are any complaints about staff members.
Kep was chosen as Ombudsperson both for her excellent interpersonal skills as well as for her involvement specifically in Port Katherine. Newer communities, no matter how well-intentioned, have a high chance of interpersonal conflict, and we wanted to focus on making sure that Port Katherine had a resource to help mitigate any conflicts. We believe that Kep’s level-headed personality, skills, and experience make her ideal for this role.
Those at Witchwood are still welcome and encouraged to reach out to Kep if you’d like assistance with mediation, or if you have complaints or kudos about our games, staff, board, etc. She may also be attending Witchwood soon, in which case you can meet her in person there as well!
Please join me in welcoming Kep to her new role!
Joy Perkinson
President, Red Feather Roleplaying