Although it is important to have a diverse organizational membership, it is also important to create safe spaces for marginalized groups within these spaces. Sometimes this means creating spaces that exist only for certain segments of an organization’s membership, but at other times safe spaces are physical locations or closed social media groups where anyone connected to an organization can feel comfortable. Safe spaces exist where there are no political or economic expectations or judgments and where a person or group of people feel confident to express themselves without discrimination, judgment, harassment or any form of emotional or physical harm. 

Creation of safe spaces is also essential for social change organizations because most groups are identity-focused and driven by some sort of marginalization or challenge. For example, creating a women-only space in Northern Ireland was important for bringing women together to express their opinions, concerns and share ideas about how to address gender inequality and the effects of the Northern Ireland conflict on women and their families. The creation of such spaces helped mobilize women, identify partnerships, and scale up the organizational network. Margaret Ward notes that creating safe spaces for women activists allowed them to bring together individuals with a range of perspectives and address common concerns: 

What we had was quite a few women who were in left groups join the Socialist Women’s Group as their kind of safe space…the Women’s Rights Movement had set up very energetic women, they then set up Downtown Women’s Center……So, that was a space and we started having unity meetings [there] with people from all these different, disparate groups. We used to meet on one Saturday a month to try and develop common issues because there was a lot of division. And, for example, the Rape Crisis Center developed out of that initiative. 

Other activists in Northern Ireland also attest to the significance of physical spaces where women across communities felt safe. Bronagh Hinds notes of the Ulster People’s College that “people felt safe coming [there] and that “it was an open cross-community place for meeting.” Hinds’ comment illustrates that safe spaces might be cross-community spaces where individuals on both sides of a conflict feel comfortable. Likewise, Claire Bailey reflects on a feminist collective in Belfast, Giros, that was a safe space for anyone: “...yes, it's just space to be, you had no reason. You don't have to have an agenda to be there, you didn't have to have a reason to be there, you could just come in and sit down… anybody.. we had school kids and everything start to use the center as well.” Bailey attests to the significance of this space, which was created as a space where anyone might feel comfortable, as essential for creating spaces for conversations that built into political activism. In her words, “But so much happened and started just by sitting in the cafe.” This points to the importance of welcoming and inclusive spaces as creating opportunities for building connections and developing initiatives. Moreover, as one Black Lives Matter activist noted, safe spaces are critical for self-care and healing among leaders.

Creating spaces where individuals or groups who share a similar culture, religious beliefs, or identity can promote and explore their heritage free from experiences of discrimination can also be a useful tool for coalition-building. As an example, civil society activist Fathi Mashoud in Israel notes the importance of establishing an Arab Institute in Israel. Fathi Mashould explains that this space brings together Arab scholars with the goal of recognizing the culture and identity of Arabs, and provides a space in which organizations with similar values can form partnerships. 

Challenges you may encounter using this tool

• Safe spaces for marginalized groups may be perceived as a threat by onlookers, which can lead to increased surveillance or retaliation.

• The aims of space spaces may be misunderstood by those that are not part of the marginalized groups centered in these spaces, and thus may come across as a way of ostracizing those that are not invited to participate.

• On social media platforms, it can be hard to know who to allow into a safe space without jeopardizing the rest of the group. It is quite easy for a social media platform to be co-opted by individuals with ulterior motives.