Purpose and Scope
This guide applies to web pages, brochures, advertising, social media, press releases, external emails, images, videos and testimonials published on behalf of Freepackers and the covered Realstep activities. It applies to employees, contractors and partners who create or approve this content. It complements our Responsible Marketing Policy and our JEDI Commitment.
Inclusive Language
Describe people accurately and respectfully, using their preferred terminology whenever known. Do not make assumptions about a person’s gender, family situation, religion, background, sexual orientation, health or abilities. Where appropriate, use clear collective terms such as “the team”, “participants” or “host communities”. Mention a personal characteristic only when it is relevant and appropriate to disclose.
Preferred and Avoided Terms
- Prefer “people with disabilities” or the terminology chosen by the individual; avoid “the disabled” and expressions such as “suffers from” unless the person uses that language to describe their own experience.
- Prefer “local communities” and “local partners”; avoid generalizations about a country or culture.
- Prefer “contribute to a locally led project”; avoid phrases such as “save a community”, “provide help” or narratives in which the traveller is presented as the sole driver of change.
- Prefer “people experiencing [specific situation]”; avoid expressions that reduce a person to their vulnerability.
- Prefer “all families” or “your accompanying person”, depending on the context; avoid assuming that all families or relationships have the same structure.
- Prefer “objective”, “activity” or “measured outcome”, depending on the available evidence; avoid making unsupported absolute claims.
Representation and Images
Represent people in diverse and active roles, without stereotypes or humiliating portrayals. Avoid images of distress used to create guilt or sell a trip. Highlight the skills and responsibilities of local teams. Check that captions accurately reflect the real context and that the selection of images does not suggest diversity or circumstances that do not actually exist.
Collection and Consent
Before collecting a testimonial or identifiable image, explain who will publish the content, for what purpose, on which channels and for how long. Obtain and document appropriate, freely given consent, without making access to a service conditional on accepting promotional use. For minors or vulnerable people, verify the appropriate permissions, take the person’s own consent into account where appropriate, and follow the partner’s safeguarding rules. If there is any doubt about safety or authorization, do not publish. Do not disclose a location, identity or story that could put someone at risk.
Management and Reuse
Record the source of the content, its author, reuse rights, consent reference, authorized channels and intended retention period. Store files and permissions in a restricted-access location. Check rights and permissions before each new substantial use. Forward removal requests to [contact] and document the decision and any deletions made across channels controlled by the company. Define [approved retention periods] for archiving and deletion.
Testimonials and Storytelling
Preserve the meaning of people’s statements, obtain confirmation of significant edits and clearly identify quotations. Never fabricate a testimonial, beneficiary or outcome. Clearly distinguish the roles of the local partner, Freepackers and participants. Do not confuse the presence of volunteers with activities carried out or measured improvements. Every figure must be linked to a time period, unit and verifiable source, with relevant limitations clearly stated.
Accessibility
Use clear language, descriptive headings, meaningful links and text alternatives that describe useful images. Provide captions for relevant videos and accessible documents. Check for barriers and comprehension issues identified by the people concerned. Do not claim a formal level of accessibility compliance without a corresponding assessment.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
All AI-assisted content must undergo human review to check facts, biases, rights and consistency with our commitments. Do not submit personal data, confidential testimonials or internal documents to an unauthorized tool. Do not use a synthetic person or scene as evidence of a real experience. Never fabricate testimonials or figures. Clearly identify synthetic images or content when presenting them without disclosure could mislead the public. AI-generated translations must also be reviewed, and the name of the person who approved the final version must be recorded.
Approval and Corrections
The author completes the content validation checklist and provides the relevant sources. Justine Trembicki reviews content before publication. Content involving minors, vulnerable people, allegations, impact results, climate data or synthetic images is referred to Justine Trembicki for enhanced review. Content without sufficient evidence is corrected or withheld from publication. Any reported error is assessed, corrected and recorded, including the date, decision and affected channels. Complaints can be submitted via Complaints and Reporting.
Training and Review
People responsible for creating and approving content receive this guide and an introduction to its principles before applying them. Justine Trembicki is responsible for monitoring training, checks and corrections, and reviews the guide at least once a year and following any significant incident. Approval: Justine Trembicki, October 7, 2026.