British Columbia Cultivating Safe Spaces
The Women, Gender Diverse and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People’s Dialogue Sessions are meant to be a safe and inclusive space. As expressed in the Women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People’s Declaration, we commit to including each other in the circle and lifting each other up. We expect respectful and thoughtful interactions from everyone joining the sessions. To help cultivate safe and inclusive space, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the guidelines and resources below. We will also spend some time reviewing and co-developing protocols together at the beginning of the sessions.
Guidelines for the Dialogue Sessions:
- Cultivate safe space for yourself and others
- Listen without judgment – Don’t minimize or invalidate anyone’s perspectives
- We don’t need to understand everything in order to be respectful and caring
- Use inclusive language
- Be curious, respectfully ask questions
- Respect confidentiality – Focus on the lessons learned from our stories, rather than the stories themselves
- We all have a sacred role to play
- Take care of yourselves
- Participate in whatever way you can
- Do what you need to in order to prepare for the sessions, including reflection and learning