# Principle 3: Attention to safety

<span lang="en-US">So, we’ve </span><span lang="en-US">learnt that </span>

✔ <span lang="en-US">an awareness of power and privileges in the room </span><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: #800080;">**helps you to create conditions for marginalised voices to be ampli<span style="color: #800080;">fied </span>**</span></span><span lang="en-US">and </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">recognise and respond</span>**</span><span lang="en-US"> to inappropriate behaviour! </span>

✔ <span lang="en-US">integrating care practices into your conversation </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">provides important space for healing</span>**</span> <span lang="en-US">and helps </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">sustain our movements</span>**</span><span lang="en-US">!</span>

<span lang="en-US">But how do we have conversations about sensitive topics that run the risk of triggering anxiety or reminding participants of harmful past experiences?</span>

<span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">A topic is sensitive when:</span>**</span>

- It relates to a participant’s past experiences or the experiences of people close to them
- It requires a participant to take a political stance
- It speaks to participants’ personal values
- It relates to a current, evolving political or social moment in our context
- It confronts the collective hurt experienced by certain communities, be they on religious, racial, ethnic, gendered, ability-related, age-related, sexual orientation, or other identity-related grounds.

#### **<span lang="en-US">Things to consider</span>**

<span lang="en-US">Here are three points to take into consideration when talking about a sensitive issue:</span>

1. <span lang="en-US">We’ve learnt that </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">all participants do not hold the same level of privilege</span><span lang="en-US">, self awareness or positionality</span>**</span><span lang="en-US">. Different topics may evoke different responses from different individuals, depending on their personal experiences. While some topics may simply be intellectual explorations for some, those same topics can be emotionally triggering for others. </span>
2. <span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">Trigger warnings are important.</span>** </span><span lang="en-US">They allow those who are sensitive to subjects of discrimination and violence to prepare themselves for discussing them, and better manage their reactions.</span>
3. <span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">Do not pressurise someone to talk about their experiences.</span>** </span>Forcing a participant to talk about a sensitive event is making them re-live that experience and all the negative emotions that come with it. Understand that some participants are not ready, or simply may not be willing, to speak openly about their past experiences.

#### **<span lang="en-US">Prepare in advance!</span>**

<span lang="en-US">If you anticipate your conversation will cover sensitive topics, you can put precautions in place to support you in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of participants during your event. Here are some ways to prepare:</span>

- <span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">Have a mental health professional present</span>** </span><span lang="en-US">who can attend to participants that have been triggered</span>
- <span lang="en-US">Have a conversation with participants at the start of the event about some of the things that make them feel </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">safe, comfortable and welcome</span>**</span> <span lang="en-US">in a space with a diversity of participants. Write them down and place them where they are easily visible to all participants during the conversation. </span>
- <span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">Inform</span>**</span><span lang="en-US"> your participants at the start of the conversation of some of the topics that will be covered and </span><span style="color: #800080;">**<span lang="en-US">explain the importance of trigger warnings</span>**</span> <span lang="en-US">from the beginning.</span>

<table border="1" id="bkmrk-steps-to-take-when-s" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 100%;">##### *<span lang="en-US">Steps to take when someone feels triggered</span>*

<span lang="en-US">Even with the best of preparations, sometimes precautions are not effective, since triggers are very specific to each individual. Here are some steps you can take to support someone feeling triggered:</span>

- <span style="color: #800080;">**Recognise** </span>that your content could be hurtful to someone.
- <span style="color: #800080;">**Apologise** </span>for saying something that hurt the person. Remember, the apology is about the person who has been hurt, and not about you. <span style="color: #800080;">**Avoid justifying or defending your words or actions and be sincere about your apology.** </span>It is not personal.
- <span style="color: #800080;">**Empathise** </span>by trying to understand why the participant may be hurt. You can do this by actively listening to the person who is feeling triggered.
- <span style="color: #800080;">**Rectify** </span>by avoiding a repetition of the specific trigger when continuing the discussion.
- <span style="color: #800080;">**Be open**</span> to participants leaving the conversation if they feel uncomfortable, or if they need some space.

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