1. Common understanding
First of all, we recommend that organizers develop an understanding of awareness and deal with it in their structures and with their teams. A self-perception regarding awareness can be developed together with everyone or by the awareness team. Questions can be: How do we want to appear/act? How diverse should our team (awareness team) be? Who do we mainly address/for whom are we there? Which values do we represent/which ones do we reject? Which principles of awareness work do we follow? Where are our boundaries? How do we want to interact with each other? It makes sense to collect and formulate these points once so that everyone has a common starting point. Especially because some awareness services work with externally staffed awareness people, it is important that everyone is on the same level as the permanent awareness team.
2. Infrastructure
An infrastructure must be provided for an awareness team. Depending on the type of service offered, this includes a central location for an information desk and a consultation or retreat room. We also recommend radios so that the awareness team can communicate directly with security, paramedics, orga/production, and, in the case of mobile shifts, with each other. Pre- and post-shift meetings with all departments are useful. Responsibilities and communication channels should be clarified in advance.
3. Public stance/visibility
In order to create trust for the awareness offer and to make it accessible without barriers, it is important that the organizers make their anti-discriminatory stance visible in advance. A clear stance is needed on websites, social media, and/or newsletters. During the event, it is necessary to provide information on toilets, bars, food stalls and any other venues of the event.
4. Material on site
The following should in any case be available on site:
- First aid material Possibility to lie down + blankets
- Tissues
- Hygiene products + menstrual products
- Dextrose
- Water (preferably 0,5l Pet bottles)
- List of contact points for those affected
- List with overnight accommodations
- Telephone numbers for (trustworthy) cab services,
- Multilingual information material
- Earplugs
The following items are also “nice to have
- Magnesium
- fruits
- Lemonades
- Tea
- Information material on awareness and consent
- Information material on sexualized violence/forms of discrimination
- Condoms/Dental dam/finger condoms
- Nail polish
- Stick-on tattoos
- Make-up
- If necessary, morning-after pill
- Games to distract
- hot water bottle
5. Follow up activities
Very important! Please don’t just leave the experience as it is, but evaluate the shifts in the team after the event and collect suggestions for improvement and learnings. Here you can collaborate to develop strategies for future action! External supervision is useful, also to reflect on your own group.