Awareness at SLAM25
Europe’s largest festival for spoken word literature as part of the European Capital of Culture year
From October 29 to November 1, 2025, the 29th International German-Language Poetry Slam Championships (SLAM25) took place in Chemnitz — a multi-day festival organized as part of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 program and regarded as the largest festival for spoken word literature in Europe.
As reflect.awareness e.V., we accompanied the championships with our on-site awareness team to ensure a discrimination-sensitive, accessible, and supportive framework for participants, poets, audiences, and everyone present.
Long-term preparation and workshops
Our awareness work began one year before the festival. In several workshops on awareness and concept development, we collaborated with the organizers on topics such as responsibility, power dynamics, and the prevention of discrimination. The goal was to structurally embed awareness within the overall festival framework.
SLAM25 – a festival of words, encounters, and participation
SLAM25 spanned four days and more than 16 events across various venues in Chemnitz, including Weltecho, Theater am Spinnbau, Metropol Kino, the Opera House, and Chemnitz Stadthalle. Poets from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and South Tyrol presented their original texts in a range of formats.
Our role as an awareness team
Throughout SLAM25, we were present, visible, and approachable. Our task was to help create a supportive and solidarity-based space for encounter, respect, and safety — both within the daily festival routine and in emotionally intense moments that can arise in performative cultural contexts.
We offered low-threshold support:
- in conversations with participants who felt uncomfortable or experienced challenging situations,
- in providing orientation across the diverse festival venues,
- as contact persons for questions related to boundaries, power dynamics, or discrimination-sensitive conduct.
Our work followed the principles of partiality and survivor-centered power of definition: we listened, took perspectives seriously, and positioned ourselves clearly against all forms of discrimination and violence.
Our approach and awareness in the festival context
Poetry slam is a format characterized by diversity, directness, and texts that are often politically and personally shaped. Conversations about belonging, identity, power, humor, and critique were recurring elements of the festival — precisely where awareness becomes essential: in mindful interaction, recognition of different perspectives, and the protection of participation.
Our awareness work did not position itself as a regulatory authority, but as an empowering presence — facilitating access and strengthening people in their autonomy and self-determination.
Impact, visibility, and sustainability
SLAM25 became a vibrant highlight of the European Capital of Culture year, attracting not only participants but also visitors from across Europe to Chemnitz.
The course of the festival made clear that awareness is not merely an additional service, but a key component of inclusive, respectful, and creative festivals. Through our presence, we contributed to making SLAM25 a space in which people from diverse backgrounds could feel safe and invited to share their voices — both in writing and performance.
We extend our sincere thanks to Spektakel Kollektiv Chemnitz e.V., the German-language poetry slam community, everyone involved, and the audience for their collaboration and for the inspiring moments we were able to experience together.