Community Governance Standards of Olevus

Communities are voluntary associations operating within the Olevus ecosystem.

Communities are not sovereign entities.

Communities are not extensions of platform leadership.

Communities possess rights, responsibilities, and authority distinct from the platform itself.

Communities operate within the constitutional framework of Olevus and may not exercise authority inconsistent with the Constitution of Olevus, the Governance Framework of Olevus, or applicable platform rules.

Communities have the right to:

• Establish a mission and purpose
• Define a culture and identity
• Create participation standards
• Select leaders and moderators
• Organize activities, discussions, events, and initiatives
• Curate discussions consistent with community standards
• Establish membership requirements
• Remove members consistent with community standards
• Preserve the integrity of the community's mission

Community rights exist to preserve freedom of association and meaningful self-governance.

Members retain all constitutional protections while participating within communities.

Community membership does not eliminate constitutional protections.

Members retain:

• Rights established by the Constitution of Olevus
• Protections established by the Governance Framework of Olevus
• Rights of constitutional participation
• Rights of voluntary association
• Rights of review where applicable

Members may voluntarily join or leave communities.

No member is required to participate in any community.

Community leaders and moderators serve as stewards of their communities.

Leadership responsibilities include:

• Acting in good faith
• Applying standards consistently
• Maintaining transparency regarding community standards
• Respecting constitutional protections
• Preserving the integrity of the community's mission
• Exercising authority proportionately and responsibly

Community leadership exists to serve the community's mission, not personal authority.

Communities may establish standards governing participation within their communities.

Such standards may include:

• Membership requirements
• Topic restrictions
• Posting standards
• Behavioral expectations
• Moderation procedures
• Leadership structures
• Community-specific participation criteria

Community standards must remain consistent with:

• The Constitution of Olevus
• The Governance Framework of Olevus
• Applicable platform rules

Freedom of association includes the freedom to gather around shared interests, values, ideas, missions, identities, beliefs, professions, goals, and pursuits.

Communities may establish membership requirements consistent with their mission and purpose.

Communities may determine who participates within their communities.

Membership in a particular community is not a constitutional right.

Removal from a community does not eliminate constitutional participation within Olevus.

Constitutional participation remains protected regardless of community membership status.

Communities may:

• Issue warnings
• Restrict participation within the community
• Remove content from community spaces
• Suspend participation within the community
• Remove members from the community

Community enforcement actions affect participation within the community.

Community enforcement actions do not constitute platform-wide governance actions unless separately adopted through Olevus governance procedures.

Community leaders may not exercise platform authority.

Community enforcement authority is limited to the community itself and may not be used to impair a member's constitutional participation elsewhere within Olevus.

Olevus generally favors:

• Community self-governance
• Voluntary separation
• Community accountability
• Resolution at the lowest practical level

Platform intervention should remain limited.

Olevus may intervene when necessary to preserve:

• Constitutional participation
• Platform integrity
• Community safety
• Governance consistency
• Compliance with applicable platform rules

Intervention should be proportionate to the circumstances presented.

Communities are encouraged to establish their own internal review procedures where appropriate.

Community decisions are ordinarily reviewed within the community itself.

Olevus does not function as an appellate authority for routine community disputes.

Platform review is available where constitutional protections, governance standards, or platform-wide policies are implicated.

The existence of disagreement alone does not require platform intervention.

Constitutional protections remain enforceable through established platform review procedures.

Communities possess substantial autonomy and may establish missions, cultures, standards, participation requirements, leadership structures, and governance practices consistent with the Constitution of Olevus.

Membership in a particular community is not a constitutional right.

Communities may determine who participates in their communities and may remove members consistent with their stated standards and purposes.

Constitutional participation within Olevus remains protected regardless of community membership status.

Community autonomy exists to preserve freedom of association.

Community authority exists within constitutional boundaries.

Communities are not sovereign entities and may not exercise authority inconsistent with the constitutional protections established by Olevus.

Communities are among the most important institutions within Olevus.

They exist to allow individuals to gather voluntarily around shared interests, goals, professions, causes, ideas, expertise, and pursuits.

Their autonomy is respected.

Their authority remains constitutional.

*Trust is strengthened when authority voluntarily constrains itself.*