For us, awareness means mindfulness and consciousness regarding how we interact with each other and avoiding discrimination, harassment, and (sexualized) violence. This includes an awareness of societal power dynamics and our own position within them.
Discrimination and violence are not isolated incidents but occur within a structural, societal context. Awareness is an approach that emerged from the feminist and queer movements in 2007. The debates and practices of the second wave of feminism in the 1970s were an important starting point. Additionally, the approaches and practices of the Transformative Justice and Community Accountability movements from the USA have influenced awareness work in the German-speaking region.
At the core of awareness is the well-being of individuals affected by discriminatory, intrusive, or boundary-crossing behavior. This entails providing biased support, if desired by the affected individual, to prevent leaving them alone with the consequences of discrimination and (sexualized) violence. The approach is intersectional and takes into account multiple layers of oppression. Support also involves creating safe spaces so that affected individuals do not have to withdraw from spaces/structures but can regain agency and exclude further risks and unwanted encounters. Awareness work also has a preventive effect and is sometimes offered in communities alongside transformative work that reflects on the environment and engages with individuals who perpetrate discrimination or violence in the context of community accountability. Awareness work may offer various approaches and possibilities, requiring reflective experiential knowledge, sound practice, and appropriately trained teams. In any case, awareness work is guided by principles such as consensus and the needs of those seeking support, aiming to foster solidarity in their interest.
Violence encompasses many forms across a wide spectrum. In our work, we stand against violence and collaborate with those affected to create action possibilities and strategies to counteract violence. It is important to understand the various levels of violence associated with it. These operate differently in individual and interpersonal contexts, in institutional and governmental forms, as well as in structural and discriminatory forms. For more information, refer to the brochure “Providing Support: Strategies for Dealing with Violence and Discrimination” (see links below)!
The aim of our work is to render ourselves redundant. We strive for a society where mindful, solidarity-based interactions between all people become commonplace. In this society, individuals have the tools and spaces to live decisions and conflict resolution mindfully and non-violently. We believe that one pathway to achieving this goal is through empowerment and emancipatory work.
Links & Reading Material (mostly in german)
Awareness Institute
We are part of the Awareness Institute – the association for awareness work in the German-speaking region.
The Awareness Institute is a collective of awareness activists from the German-speaking region who develop and offer concepts and training on the topic of awareness. We make awareness visible and accessible for event organizers, affected individuals, and those interested.
Link: https://awareness-institut.net/
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transformativejustice.eu
transformativejustice.eu >>> who we are – Our group has been working since 2011 on topics such as sexualized violence, community accountability, and transformative justice. We aim to develop and disseminate concepts and practices for communities that advance the discourse on sexualized violence and violence in close relationships, which are necessary. Our goal is to analyze these forms of violence in connection with various power dynamics and to find ways to address the complex interrelationships.
https://www.transformativejustice.eu/de/
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Handbook for Anti-Sexist Awareness:
https://unrast-verlag.de/produkt/antisexistische-awareness/
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Together with SupportFX (Leipzig) and as part of the network “Awareness Institute,” we have defined processes and standards for awareness work. These are collected in the following brochure:
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Respect Guide (D, E, Fr)
The Respect Guide is a manual for respectful interaction with each other.
http://www.i-paed-berlin.de/en/Downloads/
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The brochure “Inter and Language” clarifies terms related to intersex to promote a linguistically respectful approach. [Link to the brochure: https://oiigermany.org/inter-und-sprache/]
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Material by Les MIGRAS
https://lesmigras.de/de/informationen-downloads
The brochure “Setting Boundaries – A Workbook” addresses the setting of personal boundaries in various contexts. Through texts and exercises, you can engage with the topic. Berlin, 2017.
https://lesmigras.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LesMigraS_Grenzen_Setzen_online.pdf
Brochure “Speaking Connections: Empowerment Regarding Racism and Transphobia in LGBTQI+ Contexts.”
https://lesmigras.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LM_Broschuere_Tapesh_einzelseiten_korrigiert.pdf
Brochure “Providing Support: Strategies for Dealing with Violence and Discrimination.”
https://lesmigras.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LM_Broschuere_Tapesh_UnterstuetzungGeben.pdf
What is multiple discrimination?
Text from Les MIGRAS on multiple discrimination, multiple belonging, and anti-discrimination work.
Here is a more in-depth text available as a PDF: https://lesmigras.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/LesMigraS_Mehrfachdiskriminierung_vertiefend.pdf
In Easy Language: We explain multiple belonging and multiple disadvantage: https://lesmigras.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/LesMigraS_Was_ist_Mehrfachdiskrimierung_Leichte_Sprache.pdf
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Transnational Transformative Justice Project
http://www.whatreallymakesussafe.com/
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Zine: Mapping our madness: a workbook for navigating crisis, extreme states, or just foul moods
http://nycicarus.org/images/MappingOurMadness.pdf
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