NEW FIRE Festival [NFF] is dedicated to providing a warm, transformational, safe & inclusive festival experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We want you to feel safe and to be safe at NFF. The most important thing we want you to know is that if something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable at our events, no matter how minor it seems, you can report it to us. We do not tolerate harassment of festival participants, team, volunteers, service providers, facilitators or artistes in any form.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age and religion
- Inappropriate physical contact – touching, blocking someone’s pathway, wining on someone without permission or after being asked to stop
- Sexual images in public spaces
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, suiting (sooting) or following
- Harassing photography or recording
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events
- Unauthorised entry into personal space/tent
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour
Our Role:
Since we’ve adopted an anti harassment policy, the NFF team:
- Will inform team members and patrons of the policy, comply with and enforce these rules
- Post the text on our event’s website
- Email the full text of the policy to all facilitators, vendors, service providers and performers.
- Include it in the opening announcements for the festival.
- Advise volunteers and stakeholders of the policy and enforce it.
- Provide a physical space and trained personnel to advise and attend to persons experiencing harassment or needing a safe space, take reports and take measures in line with policy.
- Train all volunteers to respond to incidents.
- Put step by step notes on how people can deal with a situation they feel uncomfortable with.
Enforcement
The Safer Spaces facility will be a dedicated secure space and will be staffed on a continuous basis during the three day festival to offer support to anyone being harassed, feeling unsafe or needing to make a report of harassing behaviour.
If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, event organizers retain the right to take any reasonable actions to maintain a welcoming environment for all NFF participants.This includes warning the offender and/or expulsion from the Festival [with no refund]. Please know that the Team views neither ignorance nor intoxication as an excuse for unacceptable behaviour. Facilitators in workshops, sponsor or vendor booths, or similar activities are also subject to the anti-harassment policy.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.
Event organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear intent of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants.
We expect all team members, service providers, partners, volunteers and participants to follow these rules at all NFF event venues and NFF event-related social activities. We think people should follow these rules outside NFF event activities too!
Your role:
- Participants are asked to be accountable for their behaviour and to encourage friends/family to do the same.
- Identify the location of the Safer Spaces facility and Team members.
- Always ask for permission /obtain consent.
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to an NFF Team member. [NFF co-ordinators and volunteers can be identified by t-shirts/special badges/head-sets.] Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place.
You can make a report either personally or anonymously.