Skip to Content

Principles of a safer space at the Integration 2024 event 

The organisers and participants of Integration 2024 use these principles to commit to creating and maintaining the event as a safe and respectful space. The purpose of the principles of a safer space is to ensure that everyone involved in the event feels able to participate in the event while feeling safe, respected and appreciated. The principles apply to the physical and online spaces of the event. Read the principles when registering or at the latest before participating in the event.

 

During the Integration 2024 event: 

  • Identify your social position in relation to the topic of discussion. Recognise that your actions affect others.
  • Respect people’s personal, physical and mental boundaries. Do not touch anyone without their consent or ask intrusive, personal questions.
  • Acknowledge the assumptions you may make about another person’s nationality, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender, health, social class and history, and avoid acting on your assumptions. Do not repeat stereotypes based on assumptions in your words or actions.
  • Respect other participants and be aware of how you take up and use space. If you have already spoken several times, make sure that you also give others an opportunity to participate. Do not prevent anyone from seeing or hearing the presentations. 
  • You can take general photos of the event. If you take photos or videos that show individual people or take photos during workshops or other activities, make sure you ask the people in the photographs for their permission. Do not share photos or videos or use them for communication purposes without the consent of the people who appear on them. Do not record entire parts of the event. 
  • You can give constructive feedback on inappropriate behaviour and/or language. Be open to any constructive feedback you may receive.
  • If you hear, see or experience a situation where the principles of a safer space are violated, contact the designated harassment contact person. You can identify them from a yellow name badge. 

Discrimination and harassment are not tolerated at Integration 2024. We condemn any discrimination based on skin colour, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexuality, disability, age and weight or any other characteristics of individuals or groups. Ignorance or humour is not an excuse for inappropriate behaviour.  

 

Safety is about collaboration


What you say and do has an impact on other people’s sense of safety. Everyone is responsible for making the event safer. We expect each participant to dissociate themselves from discriminatory practices and intervene in any situations where they witness inappropriate behaviour or language.
 
Be aware of your role and the positive or negative impacts that your behaviour and the way you participate in discussions, for example, may have on other participants. Also note that discussions on discrimination, disregard, exclusion and inhuman treatment affect people in different ways and apply to participants on various levels. 


Harassment contact persons are there to help

 

When learning to eliminate harmful behaviour, we may make mistakes. However, none of us are alone in making this change happen – other participants and the event's harassment contact persons are here to help us.

If you experience or notice discrimination, harassment or other inappropriate behaviour at Integration 2024, contact the designated harassment contact person. You recognise the harassment contact persons from their yellow name badges. The harassment contact persons have been trained to assess the situation and act accordingly.
 

The principles of a safer space were originally drawn up for the use of the Anti-Racist Forum of the ELY Centre for Uusimaa and the Integration 2022 event. The principles were updated for the Integration 2024 event.