Our Principles

Partiality #

The perspective of those affected by discrimination or harassment is the starting point of our work. We prioritise the interests and needs of those affected and support them in finding the right way to deal with a situation or their experiences. Against the backdrop of social power relations and structures of inequality, it is important that people are listened to without having their story being relativized. We are not looking for an objective truth. By recognizing that only those affected define whether and how their own boundaries have been transgressed, we counter experienced powerlessness and the widespread tendency towards victim blaming (blaming those affected for what they have experienced). Otherwise, the majority of society often assumes the right to decide who is discriminated against and who is not. It is important to us that people who are otherwise not heard or taken seriously are also recognized.

Our society is characterized by power relations such as racism, anti-Semitism, ableism (discrimination against disabled, neurodivergent or chronically ill people), classism (discrimination against poor or socio-economically disadvantaged people), sexism, trans-, inter- and queer hostility. We learn these in our socialization, whether we want to or not. Internalized images, evaluations and expectations influence how we see the world and how we interact with other people. We cannot simply discard them, but we can reflect on them and try to unlearn them. And these power relations naturally also have an effect in chaos and at events. We try to raise awareness for this and get involved in various topics.

Confidentiality #

Your conversations with the awareness team are confidential. This means that we do not talk to anyone else about what you have shared with us. Or that you were with us at all. Unless you want us to and we agree. We will not try to persuade you to share anything. Every activity on our part will be discussed with you. In the team-internal handover or reflection, we speak anonymously or according to the need-to-know principle about concerns that have been brought to us. This means that each person in the team only knows as much as is absolutely necessary.

Victim-Centred Approach #

Our focus is on the person who has experienced discrimination, harassment or sexualized violence. Our support is not based on what this means for other people. We do not judge whether you have behaved ‘correctly’ or whether what you need and want now is ‘right’. We are aware that it takes courage to confide in people you don’t know and to share unpleasant or intimate details. We appreciate the trust placed in us.

Strengthening the Ability to Act #

Harassment, discrimination and (sexualized) violence can have different effects. However, they are often experiences of powerlessness. Those affected feel at the mercy of others, are perhaps unsure themselves about what they have experienced and feel paralysed. Reactions from third parties often reinforce these feelings, with phrases such as ‘it’s no big deal’ or even ‘don’t be like that’. That’s why it’s important for us to discuss everything with you when you contact us. You decide how to proceed, you know what you need. We will help you to find out and support you in realizing this if necessary. We can show you options and make suggestions, but we won’t tell you what ‘the right thing’ is. The decision to do nothing or to take care of yourself first can also be such a decision. We can also do things for you, but in principle we see ourselves as support. All of this also applies if you come to us with a different concern. Or if you want to talk to us about something preventively, for example because you want to prepare yourself for a situation. Our focus is on the event and how you can have as good a time as possible there. We can consider steps and strategies for afterwards, but we can no longer accompany you.

Reflection and Intervision #

We regularly reflect on our handling of cases. In addition, any team member can express the need for intervision. We then sit down together and talk about the specific case according to a structured procedure, in anonymised form of course. This helps us to process the case ourselves, but also offers the team the opportunity to learn together.