INTRODUCTION

This Code of Conduct is intended to provide standards of professional conduct that can be applied by the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society (IRKRS) instructors and its member organizations that choose to adopt them.

This Code also provides a common set of values upon which IRKRS instructors build their professional work and has as its primary goal the welfare and protection of the individuals and groups with whom the instructors work. It is the individual responsibility of instructors to aspire to the highest possible standards of conduct. IRKRS instructors respect and protect human and civil rights and do not knowingly participate in or condone unfair discriminatory practices.

1. • IRKRS instructors strive to maintain high standards of excellence in their teaching.
2. • IRKRS instructors recognize the boundaries of their particular competencies and the limitations of their expertise. They provide instruction in only those areas for which they are qualified by training and experience.
3. • IRKRS instructors maintain knowledge of relevant technical information related to the instruction they render and they recognize the need for ongoing education and training.
4. • IRKRS instructors strive to maintain continual commitment to CANI: "Constantly And Never-ending Improvement [citing Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s personal philosophy of Kaizen as advanced by Tony Robbins].

1. • IRKRS instructors seek to promote integrity in the instruction of Koryu-Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu, Aiki Kenpo Ju-jutsu or other Budo taught.
2. • IRKRS instructors are honest, fair, and respectful of others. In describing or reporting their qualifications, services, or fees, they do not make statements that are false, misleading, or deceptive.
3. • IRKRS Instructors strive to operate by the fundamental guidelines of common etiquette and Budo philosophy and avoid behavior unbecoming or potentially damaging to the respected name of the IRKRS, its founder and its members.

1. • IRKRS instructors uphold ethical standards of conduct, accept appropriate responsibility for their behavior, and adapt their teaching methods to the needs of different learners.
2. • IRKRS instructors consult with, refer to, or cooperate with other IRKRS instructors to the extent needed to serve the best interest of the learner.
3. • IRKRS instructors moral standards and conduct are personal matters to the same degree as is true for any other person, except when instructors' conduct may compromise their teaching responsibilities or reduce the public's trust in the instructor or the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society.
4. • IRKRS instructors promote the KU-based accreditation system and ensure sound pedagogical principles in the instruction of Koryu-Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu, Aiki Kenpo Ju-jutsu or whichever Budo tradition taught.
5. • IRKRS instructors ensure that rank assessment and promotions awarded within Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo-jutsu, and Aiki Kenpo Ju-jutsu are conducted in accordance with the approved authority of the IRKRS.

D: Promote the Dignity of the Learner

1. • IRKRS instructors respect the fundamental rights, dignity, and worth of all learners. Instructors are aware of cultural, individual, and role differences, including those due to age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socio-economic status.
2. • IRKRS instructors do not knowingly participate in or condone unfair discriminatory practices.
3. • IRKRS instructors do not engage in sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is sexual solicitation, physical advances, or verbal or nonverbal conduct that is sexual in nature, and that either: (1) is unwelcome, is offensive, or creates a hostile environment, and the instructor knows or is told this; or (2) is sufficiently severe or intense to be abusive to a reasonable person in the context. Sexual harassment can consist of a single intense or severe act or of multiple persistent or pervasive acts.
4. • IRKRS instructors do not engage in behavior that is harassing or demeaning to learners based on factors such as those persons' age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, or socio-economic status.

E: Concern for the Learners Welfare

1. • IRKRS Instructors seek to consider the rights and obligations of each learner and contribute to the well being of their student. Instructors are sensitive to differences in "power" between themselves and others, and they do not exploit or mislead the learner or other people during or after their professional relationship.
2. • IRKRS instructors will take reasonable steps to avoid harming a learner and to minimize harm where it is foreseeable and unavoidable.
3. • IRKRS instructors will ensure that any physical contact with a leaner is appropriate to the situation and necessary for that learner’s skill development.
4. • IRKRS instructors will provide a safe and healthy environment for training and or demonstrations and will ensure that equipment and facilities are appropriate and meet safety requirements.
5. • IRKRS instructors will show concern and caution towards a sick or injured learner and encourage the individual to seek medical advice when required. IRKRS instructors will allow further participation only when appropriate and provide a modified training program where deemed necessary.
6. • IRKRS instructors will not tolerate the use of narcotics or performance-enhancing drugs by learners and will support learners' efforts to be drug-free.
7. • IRKRS instructors refrain from tobacco and alcohol use while they are instructing.

F: Responsible Teaching

1. • IRKRS Instructors are aware of their professional responsibilities to the community and the society in which they work and live. Instructors try to avoid misuse of their work and comply with the law and encourage the development of law and policies that serve the interest of Budo.
2. • IRKRS instructors delegate to their employees, supervisees, and assistants only those responsibilities that such persons can reasonably be expected to perform competently, on the basis of their education, training, or experience, either independently or with the level of supervision being provided.
3. • IRKRS instructors provide proper training and supervision to their employees or supervisees and take reasonable steps to see that such persons perform services responsibly, competently, and ethically.

G. Other

1. • IRKRS instructors have an obligation to be familiar with this Code of Conduct and their application to the instructor's work. Lack of awareness or misunderstanding of an ethical standard is not itself a defense to a charge of unethical conduct.
2. • When an IRKRS instructor is uncertain whether a particular situation or course of action would violate the Code of Conduct, the instructor ordinarily consults with other IRKRS instructors knowledgeable about ethical issues, with the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society IEC, or with other appropriate authorities in order to choose a proper response.

© International Ryukyu Karate Research Society 2006
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