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1. What is »awareness«?
1.1 What does »awareness« mean?
The term »awareness« originates from English and, in the broadest sense, it means in this context »to be aware, to educate oneself, and to be sensitized to certain issues.«
The issues that awareness work aims to address stem from the structural inequalities in our society. People who are assigned certain characteristics are structurally favored (privileged) or disadvantaged (discriminated against). Awareness work is directed against all forms of discrimination. These include, for example, sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, antisemitism, ableism, and classism.
The goal of awareness work is to dismantle structures of inequality and exclusion and to promote consensus-based action. The goal is to create a safe atmosphere where everyone can feel comfortable and personal boundaries are respected. This can only be achieved within an event if all participants develop an attitude and practice of countering discrimination. This involves not only responding to incidents of boundary violations, but also consciously reflecting on power dynamics, creating preventive structures, and advocating for a more just society.
The following concepts form the basis for awareness-raising efforts and serve as guiding principles:
Power of definition:
People are affected differently by various forms of discrimination (such as sexism, racism, antisemitism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, classism, and other forms of discrimination). They are either disadvantaged by discrimination and experience violence, or they are privileged and perpetrate violence. The concept of the power to define presupposes that violence is anything that the person affected by a form of discrimination defines or identifies as such. In other words, the person affected decides what constitutes discrimination or a violation of boundaries, regardless of the intention of the person who is acting in a discriminatory way.
Centering the one affected by discrimination:
What happens after a boundary has been crossed or discrimination has occurred should be guided by the wishes and needs of the person affected. The person affected and their wishes and needs are at the center of awareness work. Awareness work centers the persons who are affected, is guided by their needs, and is confidential. Those affected are taken seriously as the true experts on their own feelings. The awareness team acknowledges and takes them seriously. The persons who are affected can open up, but must not be pressured into anything. Any steps taken are only undertaken in consultation with those affected. A confrontation with the person who committed the act of discrimination or violence can only take place if the affected person expressly wishes it.
Confidentiality:
Sensitive information is only shared outside the Awareness Team with the consent of the affected person.
Partiality:
Partiality means that in situations involving discrimination and violence, it is impossible to take a neutral stance. The purpose of awareness-raising work is not to mediate between the victim and the perpetrator. In situations of discrimination, boundary violations, and assaults, it is often one person’s word against another’s, usually to the detriment of the affected person. If we want to make the Right to the City Forum as open a space as possible for everyone and initiate social change, we must learn to take sides with those who are affected by discriminatory structures: we must listen to them, believe them, and support them in asserting their demands. In cases of doubt, disregarding the demands of an affected person can result in lifelong trauma and the permanent abandonment of a place that can no longer be perceived as safe. For a person who has been wrongly accused, nothing worse usually happens than having to leave a place (temporarily).
1.2 Where does awareness work come from?
Awareness work has its roots in the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s in the U.S., which were directed against the systematic oppression and discrimination of African American citizens. In the 1960s and 1970s, the second wave of feminism brought awareness of gender inequalities and discrimination to the forefront. In the 1980s and 1990s, awareness of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people grew, particularly due to the AIDS crisis and the work of activists such as ACT Up, who drew attention to abuses in the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients.
The U.S. origins of awareness are closely intertwined with the concepts of community accountability and transformative justice. In this context, alternative concepts for establishing safety within civil society—including addressing sexualized violence in BIPoC communities—are negotiated and tested.
In Germany, the first formulation of the survivor-led approach (BkA) was implemented in 2004 by the sexual violence support centers Tauwetter and Wildwasser, and the runaway shelter Villa Stöckle. BkA refers to support provided by survivors for survivors, with the aim of incorporating reflective experiences into the work and prioritizing these over professional approaches.
Around the same time, the concepts of community accountability and transformative justice also made their way from the United States to Germany.
Initially, awareness work here was understood primarily as an anti-sexist practice. In 2007, activist Ann Wiesental initiated the first awareness group on the occasion of the protest against the G8 summit. Together with activists and groups from the queer-feminist movement, she founded the »Anti-Sexist Contact and Awareness Group.« From this, an intersectional feminist approach to awareness work developed in many activist contexts. Intersectionality is a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in the late 1980s that describes the overlaps between different forms of discrimination and fosters an awareness of how different identities and social positions are interwoven.
Today, awareness work initiatives are implemented in many fields—including education, culture, politics, business, and activism—to raise awareness of various forms of discrimination, take action against them, and promote an inclusive and respectful environment.
Awareness work remains a central component of the commitment to social justice and inclusion in today’s society.
2. Responsibilities within and Limits of Awareness Work
Awareness is a collective responsibility of everyone on site. They are supported in this by a clearly identifiable Awareness Team. The Awareness Team takes on the task to assist individuals affected by discrimination or personal boundary violations and to act in the best interests of those affected. It takes action when boundary-violating or discriminatory behavior is observed, when affected individuals approach the team, when others witness it, or when people ask for help. The Awareness Team is available to all event participants.
Overall, the Awareness Team is dedicated to creating a supportive and safe environment in which all members are equally respected and protected. It helps foster a culture of mindfulness, compassion, and justice. Inappropriate behavior is a matter of subjective perception by those affected or by witnesses. The determination of whether inappropriate or discriminatory behavior has occurred rests solely with the affected person. Each person affected by violence or discrimination determines for themselves, based on their personal history, present circumstances, and experience, what they perceive as inappropriate. In accordance with this principle, the Awareness Team adopts the perspective of those affected and protects them.
The responsibilities of the Awareness Team are clearly distinct from those of conventional security teams. The focus is not on enforcing compliance with rules, but primarily on providing support to those who have experienced harm. Furthermore, the Awareness Team does not act as a mediator, but rather provides a person to talk to and a safe space for the affected individual, and discusses possible courses of action. It also does not provide support for people in exceptional psychological situations caused by drug use. Similarly, the Awareness Team is not composed of medical personnel. However, it does have a contact list of first responders and additional resources.
3. Our Awareness Structure
3.1 Awareness Team
The Awareness Team consists of the coordination group (which is the AK Awareness or Awareness Working Group in the following) and the active shifts.
For the duration of the RAS Forum in Offenbach from June 12—14, 2026, and for up to four weeks afterwards, the AK Awareness (Awareness Working Group) will assume the coordination role. The AK currently consists of two people and met prior to the forum to prepare the organization and implementation of the Awareness concept. During this meeting, agreements regarding the approach were made and documented in the Awareness concept. It is important to note that the AK Awareness did not develop this as a professionally trained unit, but rather as a coalition of individuals with varying degrees of awareness experience. This coalition does not exist beyond the forum. The Awareness Working Group organizes the concept as well as the shift system, in which volunteers contribute to a collectively supported awareness effort. In the shift system, individuals can sign up for active shifts on their own. Since people with varying levels of experience can take on Awareness shifts, the Awareness Working Group offers an online preparatory meeting shortly before (approx. 1 week) the forum. Throughout the entire forum, the Awareness Working Group is available for coordination, any questions that arise, and emergencies. The relevant contact information is provided to those on active shifts.
3.2 Awareness at the RAS Forum
Awareness Point & a Space to Retreat
Shift System
Presence and Availability
Party Awareness
Awareness Selfcare
4. Examples and Implementation
The Awareness Team takes action when:
Or in response to other questions from participants regarding awareness.
4.1 Specific Steps for Dealing with Affected Individuals
If an affected person approaches you, follow these steps:
I. Allow the person to describe the situation
II. Ask what the person needs
III. Ask about specific needs
Ask the person specifically if they need one or more of the following things:
IV. Outline possibilities
V. Implement the approach you agreed upon
Other important points:
Links/Sources:
