EAA Effective Altruism Amsterdam

About EAA / Community Health

Community health

What you can expect from us, what we expect from everyone here, and who to talk to if something is wrong.

A community that asks people to think hard about difficult things only works if it is a safe place to be wrong in. That takes deliberate effort, so we would rather write it down than assume it.

What to expect at our events

  • Newcomers are welcome at everything unless a page says otherwise.
  • You never have to justify how much you give, earn, or do.
  • "I don't know" and "I've changed my mind" are good answers.
  • Disagreement is the point. Contempt is not.
  • Events are in English. Most are free, and cost is never a barrier — just ask.

Code of conduct

We follow EA Netherlands' code of conduct, which is written to keep people in the Dutch EA network collaborating well. In short:

  • Treat people with respect. No harassment, intimidation or discrimination, in person or online.
  • Be mindful of power imbalances. Organisers, facilitators, employers and funders carry weight in a conversation whether they intend to or not.
  • Take consent seriously — in social and romantic contexts especially, and in how you share what others tell you.
  • Be honest. Do not overstate your credentials, your organisation's impact, or your certainty.
  • Look after each other. If someone seems out of their depth or unwell, help or find someone who can.

Behaviour that breaches this can mean being asked to leave an event or the community. That decision sits with the organising team, in consultation with EA Netherlands where appropriate.

If something goes wrong

If you have been made uncomfortable, seen something that worries you, or are unsure whether something counts — please raise it. You do not need proof, and you do not need to be the person it happened to.

  1. Talk to an organiser

    Any member of the team, at an event or by message. If it concerns a specific organiser, go to a different one.

  2. Email us

    info@eaamsterdam.com reaches the organising team.

  3. Go outside EAA entirely

    EA Netherlands has a community health lead who acts as a trained trust person. Anyone in the EA network in the Netherlands can reach out for a confidential, anonymous conversation and get help thinking through options — with no obligation to take it further.

How we handle reports

  • We listen first, and we do not require you to have documentation.
  • We only share what is needed to act, and we tell you before we share it.
  • You stay in control of how far it goes, unless someone is at risk of serious harm.
  • We will tell you what we decided and why.

Looking after yourself

Some of what this community discusses is genuinely heavy — suffering at enormous scale, risks to everyone. It is normal to find that hard, and it is fine to step back from a topic, a discussion or the community for a while. Nobody is keeping score.

If you are struggling and want to talk to someone outside this community: your GP is the usual route in the Netherlands, students can reach a university psychologist or student counsellor through their institution, and in a crisis 113 Zelfmoordpreventie can be reached at 0800-0113, free and around the clock.