Statement on Safety

ARWG Statement on Safety for Events

Below is a template for creating a statement on safety for events. We, the Anti-Racism Working Group, found such a statement was necessary when planning and running our inaugural ‘Race’ and Socially Engaged Research Conference in 2023. Following attendance at several other conferences and events where these kinds of precedents were not set, we had found ourselves feeling unsafe, upset and distracted when put into harmful situations, and wanted to find a way to minimise this as much as possible at any events we organised in future.

We therefore decided to put out a short statement of safety which recognises that we can not fully control the environment we are in and hence cannot guarantee a completely safe space, but would do everything we could to make it as comfortable and accessible as possible. This statement is only one way we do this. Of course, the statement is also adapted for each event and the content, setting and attendees of the event. We found, following the 2023 Conference and with feedback from attendees, that the statement needed to be strengthened. It has been iteratively changed several times and we continue to reflect on how we can improve this.

You are very welcome to use this template for any events you organise. For accessibility, we communicate the statement in visual and verbal ways prior to the start of an event. We would ask that you tailor it to your specific context and cite this page if you do use it, to show why these statements are important and where it originated from (harms in these spaces), as well as how it can be used and adapted going forwards. You can cite it as:

The Anti-Racism Working Group (2024). ARWG Statement on Safety for Events, https://sites.google.com/view/raceandsociallyengagedresearch/statement-on-safety 

Statement on Safety: 

The organising team are conscious that sensitive topics will be discussed and addressed at this event which can impact people in different ways. We recognise that everyone experiences safety differently and that we cannot guarantee event spaces will be 'safe spaces' since we cannot control all the factors that impact this. We will however do our utmost to create welcoming spaces where attendees know that there is an expectation that everyone is respectful and mindful of others and accountable for contributing to the event's welcoming spaces. 

This event is open to all and is therefore attended by people from diverse backgrounds with differing proximities to whiteness and other forms of privilege. Whilst we certainly do not want to create a space that is unsafe to speak and where people fear contributing in case of ‘saying the wrong thing’ or ‘taking up too much space’, please keep in mind how words and presence can have a strong impact on those around us, especially if you are a person of privilege. If you do get corrected at any point, please be mindful that this often takes a significant amount of emotional labour from the other person and is done out of care, rather than an attack. On the other hand, we want everyone to feel welcomed and to contribute to a welcoming atmosphere such that if you are going to correct somebody, calling people in encourages them to stay in this important work, whereas calling them out may result in a defensive response.

Additionally, we will be at different stages of our learning and ask all attendees to think critically about their positionality and privileges whilst remaining open to others’ contributions to discussions. For example, if you are someone with close proximity to whiteness in events centred on ‘race’, that are trying to decentre whiteness, please think carefully about the spaces you occupy and take up, and consider whether your questions and contributions could be harmful or re-centre whiteness. This includes asking racialised people questions along the lines of ‘What should I do about X, Y or Z as a white person?’.

We believe we should all act with care to disrupt the reinforcement and reproduction of the very hierarchies, systems and privileges that this event aims to disrupt. We want delegates to have an enriching and joyful experience at our event and welcome people who are new to this work. We also are aware that scenarios can arise where some people's learning comes at the expense of other people's labour. We will provide a breakout space on the day that delegates can freely access to decompress and also a creative breakout space (e.g. with materials for play). We invite delegates to prioritise care for themselves and access these spaces any time they want to. The organising team will work together to consider and support the needs of delegates throughout the day to the best of our ability. We have created bios which explain our connection and positionality in this work and include our photos to assist delegates in identifying us. We will also ensure we are identifiable on the day with name badges.