How to Support Ukraine - From VS Chief Community Officer

I’d like to take a moment to speak about the war in Ukraine, what we're doing, and how you can help.

Like you, we've kept a watchful eye on the war in Ukraine and are horrified by the actions of Putin’s regime and the hostile military invasion of a sovereign nation.

Our hearts go out to those that are suffering and we are committed to doing what we can to help.

What we're doing:

• Blocking Russian state-backed propaganda from our platform - including RT News and ************.
• Donating to the humanitarian relief effort.
• Keeping our communities open to serve as a lifeline to people of all nations to share and support one another.

How you can help:

• Donate to the relief effort and to the defense of Ukraine.
• Offer support to Ukrainian community members, friends, family and anyone affected by the crisis.
• Be kind and gentle with people.

Specific to our community moderators and administrators, we encourage you to:

• Ensure discussions about the crisis are limited to a single thread to help organize and follow posts.
• Help keep posts about the war in Ukraine respectful of expression and civil.
• Respect and acknowledge that people may experience the emotional toll of violent events differently.
• Exercise leniency and understanding in moderation. The topic is emotionally charged; members may lash out while anxious, unsettled, or impatient.

If you know of other ways to help or have recommendations for your communities, please share.

Remember that we're a tribe of passionate people brought together from around the world. Our strengths come from our differences and how we express those differences, from the dedication and earnest zeal we bring to our forums, and ultimately the sharing of interests with one another on subjects that we love.

Our communities are a gathering place for all people. We know that the chorus of our collective is lessened by the loss of even a single voice. We grieve those rendered silent through needless violence, oppression, and war. So that the substance and volume of our great discourse with one another is not diminished by the loss of those voices, it is of tremendous importance that we speak all the louder for them.

Thank you, all.