Kin Vow

An imperfect union. A promise to each other.

Listen with care. Keep promises within your capacity. Make room for honest disagreement.

Being kin means recognizing each person's worth and taking responsibility for how we treat them. You choose your relationships and boundaries. Closeness, agreement, trust, and forgiveness remain yours to decide.

A vow you may choose

I will treat every person as if their inner world is as vast and valuable as my own. I will listen to understand, speak honestly, and leave room to be wrong. I will challenge harm without denying anyone's humanity. I will respect other people's boundaries and my own. When I fall short, I will acknowledge what I did and seek repair without demanding forgiveness. I vow to practice being kin through care for others and promises I can keep.

You can participate without taking the vow. No signature or public declaration is required.

One conversation. One kept commitment.

Try either habit at a pace you can manage. A conversation does not require a new promise:

1. Ask someone willing: “What would you like me to understand?” A lighter option is, “What made today a little easier?” Either person may pass, change the topic, or stop.
2. Listen, reflect back, and ask, “Have I understood you?” Offer advice only if invited.
3. If an action is wanted, choose something useful you can manage. Follow through and, when welcome, check whether it helped.

Listening can be enough. Keeping an existing promise or respecting a requested boundary counts. If you cannot keep a promise, acknowledge it and discuss a realistic change; forgiveness is never required. You can practice with someone you already know. No political debate or private disclosure is required.

At a Kin Table

Share the time. Speak from your own experience. You may pass, write instead of speak, take a break, or leave. Criticism and disagreement are welcome; threats, harassment, and personal humiliation are not. No one has to defend their worth or speak for a whole group.

Please do not record, photograph, or repeat another person's story. Ask before exchanging contact details. Everyone is asked to respect privacy, but hosts cannot guarantee what other participants will do.

If something crosses a boundary, tell either host privately or use the feedback notice available at the gathering. It includes a route to someone uninvolved for concerns about a host. You may leave anonymous feedback. You do not have to confront another participant or accept an apology. Feedback and practice between gatherings are optional; the conduct rules apply to everyone.

Kin Vow is a project in development and a working name pending rights review. No gatherings are scheduled, and no host organization or official chapter is confirmed. This sheet is proposed content for an adult pilot. Hosts must arrange and display the completed feedback notice before using it.