Our Festival Awareness

Awareness teams have become standard at many events. They offer a sense of safety and help ensure everyone feels comfortable. That’s why we’re often asked about them. And in most cases, our answer is the same:

“An awareness team without a proper concept is like a tool without someone to use it.”

A Holistic Approach

We understand awareness work as holistic. That’s why we talk about the design and implementation of an awareness concept, of which an awareness team can be a part—but doesn’t necessarily have to be.
The goal, for us and our partners, should always be the protection and support of those affected by (sexualized) violence and other forms of discrimination. The methods we use are secondary to this goal.
When we speak of holistic approaches, we mean that awareness begins well before the event itself—starting with the composition and practices of the organizing teams. Likewise, an awareness concept doesn’t end when the event does.
Our vision of holistic awareness practice includes engaging with the topic all year round and integrating social justice into every decision-making process.
We don’t see events as one-off or recurring individual experiences, but rather as unique gatherings of communities. That’s why the true sphere of influence of our awareness work isn’t the event itself—it’s the community behind it.
We advocate for external expertise, but we also hold organizers accountable. An awareness concept only works if it is embraced and embodied by all parts of the event.
Our goal isn’t to have 50 awareness staff members—our goal is 50,000.

Awareness Concepts

So what actually goes into an awareness concept? Where do you start—and how do you keep it going?In general, awareness work can be broken down into three areas:
Prevention, Intervention, and Self-Care.
All three aim to ensure that everyone involved in the system is doing well.

Prevention

A prevention strategy should aim to clearly and transparently communicate an organization’s values and stance. It forms the foundation of any awareness concept and should make up the largest portion of the work.
Prevention begins with a process of self-reflection. Many organizations choose to develop a shared understanding or mission statement during this phase. In our view, this is an essential element of any integrity-driven awareness concept.
Often, the process of developing a shared understanding does more for an organization than simply implementing an awareness team.
Further components of a prevention strategy can include various educational formats—delivered before, during, or after the event.

Intervention

Intervention strategies describe immediate support measures for people affected by (sexualized) violence or other forms of discrimination—usually taking place during the event.
An example of such a measure might be the deployment of an awareness team.

Self-Care

Self-care refers to strategies aimed at maintaining the mental and physical well-being of everyone working within the system.
Pre- and post-event briefings, check-ins and check-outs before and after each shift, and supervision are essential parts of any functional self-care strategy.

Of course, developing a solid awareness concept is a much more complex process than outlined here. However, most concepts can usually be divided into these three core areas.

Awareness with reflect.awareness e.V.

From our perspective, awareness is not a service. That’s why we work closely and collaboratively with our partner organizations. At the same time, there are a few requirements for cooperation:

The festival or organization...

  • ...must align with our shared values and mission
  • ...must agree to our awareness concept
  • ...must commit to survivor-centered processes

How this collaboration looks in detail varies from case to case. But in our experience, it makes sense to start with a workshop focused on the organization’s structures—and to build further collaboration from there.

Call to action

Just like toilets, bars, and dancefloors, awareness concepts should be standard at every festival. So go ahead—book a free consultation and let’s see how we can support you. Festivals are catalysts for societal change, and that change starts now.