Refund policy
We would love to be able to offer refunds (or to move a ticket to a future event) if you're unable to attend a workshop you booked in for. Unfortunately, it's often surprisingly complicated at our end. Aside from the admin, a cancellation often has implications for numbers, or gender balance, or preparation of materials, or our planning of the workshop. Also, since some ticket types and some ticket rounds sell out, giving a full refund would mean we lose the income through no fault of our own, but often don't have the lead-time to find a replacement (unless we're happy to get into a desperate panic).
So like other similar events - seminars, performances, courses, training, etc. - we need to put a value on the cost of cancellations. Unless stated otherwise, if you let us know at least 72 hours prior to a workshop, we can refund what you've paid less a $25 cancellation fee per person per ticket. We hope this strikes a balance between your situation, and ours.
If it’s possible for us to do so, and with at least 14 days notice, we may be able to move your booking to a future event.
We had an additional Covid refund policy, which was essentially a full refund. However, this meant that we were shouldering all of the responsibility, and workshops (and the admin around them) quickly became unsustainable. So we're reverting back to our normal refund policy, as articulated above, with the exception that if you notify us any time prior to the workshop that you've got Covid (or symptoms, or are a close contact), we'll offer a refund (less $25 cancellation fee) or to move your ticket to a future session time.
In the case of our pre-recorded workshops, we offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee for 30 days after purchase. So if you're not satisfied in any way, contact us for a full refund. After that period no refund is available (except where required by Australian consumer laws).
We would love to be able to offer refunds (or to move a ticket to a future event) if you're unable to attend a workshop you booked in for. Unfortunately, it's often surprisingly complicated at our end. Aside from the admin, a cancellation often has implications for numbers, or gender balance, or preparation of materials, or our planning of the workshop. Also, since some ticket types and some ticket rounds sell out, giving a full refund would mean we lose the income through no fault of our own, but often don't have the lead-time to find a replacement (unless we're happy to get into a desperate panic).
So like other similar events - seminars, performances, courses, training, etc. - we need to put a value on the cost of cancellations. Unless stated otherwise, if you let us know at least 72 hours prior to a workshop, we can refund what you've paid less a $25 cancellation fee per person per ticket. We hope this strikes a balance between your situation, and ours.
If it’s possible for us to do so, and with at least 14 days notice, we may be able to move your booking to a future event.
We had an additional Covid refund policy, which was essentially a full refund. However, this meant that we were shouldering all of the responsibility, and workshops (and the admin around them) quickly became unsustainable. So we're reverting back to our normal refund policy, as articulated above, with the exception that if you notify us any time prior to the workshop that you've got Covid (or symptoms, or are a close contact), we'll offer a refund (less $25 cancellation fee) or to move your ticket to a future session time.
In the case of our pre-recorded workshops, we offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee for 30 days after purchase. So if you're not satisfied in any way, contact us for a full refund. After that period no refund is available (except where required by Australian consumer laws).
Accessibility
Curious Creatures is committed to diversity and accessibility. Considerable lengths have been taken to adapt the material, format and presentation to suit a wider range of people. If you are aware of anything that might make our workshops inaccessible to you, please contact us, and we will happily see if we can find a way to make it inclusive.
It is with sadness that we point out that the venue we use is not wheelchair accessible at the time of writing (due to four steps at the front of the building and inadequate toilet facilities). We have long-term plans to offer workshops for people of different abilities, in accessible spaces.
Because consent and communication is crucially important to what Curious Creatures does, and because the workshop content is delivered in English, you must have at least a moderate level of spoken English.
Curious Creatures is committed to diversity and accessibility. Considerable lengths have been taken to adapt the material, format and presentation to suit a wider range of people. If you are aware of anything that might make our workshops inaccessible to you, please contact us, and we will happily see if we can find a way to make it inclusive.
It is with sadness that we point out that the venue we use is not wheelchair accessible at the time of writing (due to four steps at the front of the building and inadequate toilet facilities). We have long-term plans to offer workshops for people of different abilities, in accessible spaces.
Because consent and communication is crucially important to what Curious Creatures does, and because the workshop content is delivered in English, you must have at least a moderate level of spoken English.
Mission Statement
Curious Creatures is working towards:
A world that is sex-positive*, inclusive, and safe.
Communities that are educated and incredibly good at communication about consent.
Individuals that are empowered, liberated, and comfortably self-exploring.
*"Sex positive" means we are positive about our interests in consensual sex, and other people's interests. We might not like a particular kind of sex, or any kind of sex, but we are not negative or shaming about other's interests. Sex positivity exists as an alternative to a "sex negative" approach where individuals are in shame around their own sexuality, and critical of other expressions of sexuality.
Curious Creatures is working towards:
A world that is sex-positive*, inclusive, and safe.
Communities that are educated and incredibly good at communication about consent.
Individuals that are empowered, liberated, and comfortably self-exploring.
*"Sex positive" means we are positive about our interests in consensual sex, and other people's interests. We might not like a particular kind of sex, or any kind of sex, but we are not negative or shaming about other's interests. Sex positivity exists as an alternative to a "sex negative" approach where individuals are in shame around their own sexuality, and critical of other expressions of sexuality.
Policy: Commitment to gender equality and diversity
It is sometimes unclear how to best include gender issues in workshops; concepts that are otherwise simple enough to navigate can be difficult when applied to the public workshop environment. We are not pretending to have all the answers.
Sometimes there are no answers; some of these issues are unsolvable. As an example, a facilitator might sometimes be sitting between one group of people who, to be seen and included, need to have gender described as a fluid, non-existent, or fluctuating experience. On the other side, might be a group that need to have gender described as a fixed, rigid, and defined experience. It’s difficult to create environments (let alone describe gender) in a way that will make both of these groups of people feel simultaneously welcome.
Our primary commitment is to do our best, regardless. We will continue to try and create spaces where different folks can co-exist, and hopefully benefit from what the other brings. We will keep learning and listening and improving – and apologise for the times we get it wrong.
The main purpose of Curious Creatures' work is to contribute to how consent and sex-positivity plays out in our culture. To do this on a wider scale than just 'friends of friends' means including more diversity in workshops - which can feel a little odd, but can be a highly valuable experience for all.
Additional, specific commitments:
It is sometimes unclear how to best include gender issues in workshops; concepts that are otherwise simple enough to navigate can be difficult when applied to the public workshop environment. We are not pretending to have all the answers.
Sometimes there are no answers; some of these issues are unsolvable. As an example, a facilitator might sometimes be sitting between one group of people who, to be seen and included, need to have gender described as a fluid, non-existent, or fluctuating experience. On the other side, might be a group that need to have gender described as a fixed, rigid, and defined experience. It’s difficult to create environments (let alone describe gender) in a way that will make both of these groups of people feel simultaneously welcome.
Our primary commitment is to do our best, regardless. We will continue to try and create spaces where different folks can co-exist, and hopefully benefit from what the other brings. We will keep learning and listening and improving – and apologise for the times we get it wrong.
The main purpose of Curious Creatures' work is to contribute to how consent and sex-positivity plays out in our culture. To do this on a wider scale than just 'friends of friends' means including more diversity in workshops - which can feel a little odd, but can be a highly valuable experience for all.
Additional, specific commitments:
- We commit to not teaching sexuality in a gender-binary way. This includes no mention of ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’, and no prescribing of particular behaviours to particular genders.
- Not assuming either heteronormativity or queerness. We will articulate in workshop descriptions how people will be partnered for pair-work exercises, so that folks can make their own choices.
- In most workshops, including scope for people to clarify the gender pronouns they like to use in relation to themselves, at the start of the workshop. It may be appropriate to use our rank as facilitators to role-model gender diversity and create a positive atmosphere around same.
- In the unlikely event that a participant makes a negative gender-based comment in a workshop, we will do our best to respectfully address the comment and see if it can be rephrased. We will try not to leave minority groups to defend themselves.
- From time to time, we will facilitate group processes (conflict resolution) on gender and related issues.
- Ensure that paid staff have a thorough understanding of gender diversity and related issues.
- Attempt to create an atmosphere where participants feel drawn to exploring their gender identity, rather than feeling pressured or shamed into doing so.
- In general, not run workshops exclusively for any one gender (with exception*, below). We will instead attempt to show that we can all do this work together, even though that brings extra challenges – and opportunities! – relating to diversity.
- Where possible, run ‘hetero’ versions of workshops (where folks that identify as men are paired with folks that identify as women), ‘mixed’ workshops (where pairing happens randomly), and ‘couples’ versions (where folks, regardless of gender, work just with the person they arrived with), and they will be clearly labelled as such. *If demand exists, run bespoke lesbian and gay workshops.
- Attempt to bring gender diversity and fluidity into as many workshops as possible, so long as we're not pushing an agenda that folks didn’t sign up for.
- Do our best to balance comments made by participants that assume that “men are like x”, “women are like y”, “non-binary folks are like z”, etc. To the extent that we are able, make sure that diversity and fluidity is represented.
- We acknowledge that marginalised gender and sexual identities often carry a disproportionate psychological load resulting from the way they are regarded by the mainstream, and that minority groups often wind up providing leadership to the mainstream around gender issues. As sexuality educators, we acknowledge how much of our knowledge base comes from this work, and that we have a debt of gratitude. We will invest in further education and supervision on relevant issues.
- We acknowledge the incredible work that has been done by feminism, the men’s movement, and the queer movements, and how our own work is thanks to these pioneering movements.
- Not assume that a woman has a vagina, or that a man has a penis.
- When running workshops where it is specified that women will be paired with men for pair-work exercises, take each person’s identity as they identify it.
- We have a discount system in place for people that feel that their gender or sexual identity has marginalised them and impacted on their financial situation. Contact us to apply. (We regret that I am unable to extend this tithe system to other legitimate areas of marginalisation, such as accessibility, health, indigeneity, etc.).
Policy: Play / intimacy with workshop participants
There are two main reasons why a workshop facilitator (or others in positions of power at Curious Creatures) shouldn’t be intimate with workshop participants.
The first is that the facilitator has a duty of care to look out for the wellbeing and safety of workshop participants, and they can't do this if they're distracted by romantic or sexual interests. It will cloud their vision.
The second is that at least around the time of the workshop, a rank / power difference can exist between the facilitator and the participant that means that the participant may be less able to find their 'no' signals, and may agree to things that they ordinarily wouldn't. These are the same sorts of dynamics that exist between counsellors and clients, police and their subjects, etc.
It's a misuse of the position of power to use workshops to pick people up, so Curious Creatures have a strong policy that facilitators don't do that. This responsibility extends to interactions with participants outside of the immediate workshop environment.
This becomes complicated in the world of sexuality, and particularly non-monogamy, where someone might be a facilitator in one context, but not in another. Or where circles of friends, peers, and partners overlap.
We ask both facilitators and participants to be mindful of this complexity. We expect facilitators to be aware that the power differential is influenced by things like age, previous experience, how recent a workshop was, and other factors.
Outside of the immediate workshop environment, the policy might be regarded as “No play with participants where a peer-based relationship doesn’t exist”.
There are two main reasons why a workshop facilitator (or others in positions of power at Curious Creatures) shouldn’t be intimate with workshop participants.
The first is that the facilitator has a duty of care to look out for the wellbeing and safety of workshop participants, and they can't do this if they're distracted by romantic or sexual interests. It will cloud their vision.
The second is that at least around the time of the workshop, a rank / power difference can exist between the facilitator and the participant that means that the participant may be less able to find their 'no' signals, and may agree to things that they ordinarily wouldn't. These are the same sorts of dynamics that exist between counsellors and clients, police and their subjects, etc.
It's a misuse of the position of power to use workshops to pick people up, so Curious Creatures have a strong policy that facilitators don't do that. This responsibility extends to interactions with participants outside of the immediate workshop environment.
This becomes complicated in the world of sexuality, and particularly non-monogamy, where someone might be a facilitator in one context, but not in another. Or where circles of friends, peers, and partners overlap.
We ask both facilitators and participants to be mindful of this complexity. We expect facilitators to be aware that the power differential is influenced by things like age, previous experience, how recent a workshop was, and other factors.
Outside of the immediate workshop environment, the policy might be regarded as “No play with participants where a peer-based relationship doesn’t exist”.
