How to reach us?
In case you saw or experienced violating behaviour, please contact us any time. We are there for you! We listen to you and will NOT question your experience. Together we can find out what is now best for you. You can reach us by email or phone.
During the camp weekend one person (positioned as FLINT*, white, abled, academically socialized) is available by
phone (0342 96919742)
and email awareness@klimcamp-leipzigerland.de
We will act carefully, confidentially and as fast as it is possible.
What is Awareness?
In general, we understand awareness as a mindful and respectful intercourse with one another.
As an emancipator concept, Awareness connotes a mindful and conscious intercourse with discrimination and dominion/control relationships and especially with those affected by these relationships.
We live in a society in which, for example racist, sexist, homophobic and lots of other forms of dominating and discriminating attitudes are unfortunately the order of the day. To boot, a lot of these discriminating and dominating attitudes have been institutionalized, e.g. in the form of capitalist economic and racist laws.
For Awareness as a political code of practice, this means focusing not only on inter-personal relationships but (rather) also on structures and institutions that foster and/or enforce discrimination and violence.
Awareness-work encompasses also on one hand prevention- the creation of (inter-personal, societal and institutional) conditions which minimize the possibility of discrimination and violence-, and on the other, support offer for persons who have been or are victims of discrimination and violence.
Why Awareness at the Camp?
We want to support the creation of a Climate Camp at which possibly, all can feel comfortable. In this respect, it is important to stress that we cannot act unencumbered from social control and power structures – also not in online spaces. Because we live in a society which accentuates inequality, produces suppression, and continuously reproduce and sustain structures.
We have to deal with this if, we shall take our objective of liberated society seriously. We are all (collectively) responsible for this contention.
Awareness begins with us personally- the first step is to reflect on our social positions and their commensurate presence or absence of varying privileges. That is why, it is essential to look at us and reflect on our own structures: What privileges might many of us have? How diverse or homogeneous are we? Why is that? How do we unconsciously and unwittingly exclude certain social groups? What can we do personally to ensure that all people are feeling well on the camp?
What do we mean by (un)knowledge?
All of us have different themes with which we are more or less conversant and with which we are more or less confronted. This is dependent on social structures and realities an unequal distribution of (un)knowledge and with it privileges.
It can be a privilege not yet to be confronted with specific themes; even so can it be a privilege to know more about a specific topic than others.
Different forms of (un)knowledge shall collide at the Climate Camp. This can be enriching, it can also in conversations with one another be perceived as excluding.
This is why we want to appeal to you to reflect on your (un)knowledge and be sensitive towards one another during conversations. Perhaps there are words/vocabulary that you of course understand and use, which may not be known to the others or even offend them. These vocabulary (terminology, parlance, scene-talk, names, jokes…), you could mindful explain to one another and permit the explanations in order not to denigrate or embarrass any one and that all of our (un)knowledge would be shared and broadened.
Pronouns and gendered language
To avoid the so-called “mis-gendering”- i.e. addressing someone with, from their perspective a wrong pronoun, we kindly ask you to state your names (nick names) with the pronouns (if existing) you want to be addressed during the Climate Camp in your name field in the Rocket-Chat and Pad. We encourage you to think about pronouns outside the domain of the binary system.
When you make new acquaintances, you could ask their names and pronouns and when you wear names badges we kindly ask you to write your pronouns as well. If you are not sure of the pronoun to use for an individual you can substitute the pronoun with the name of the person.
This way insecurity and violation of boundaries would be prevented.
Examples for pronouns and their use could be:
(Name, personal pronoun, possessive pronoun)
- Jojo, she, her
This is Jojo. She is called Jojo. Jojo is her name. - Ibrahim, human, human‘s
This is Ibrahim. Human called Ibrahim. Ibrahim is human’s name. - Ana, ?, ?
This is Ana. Ana is called Ana. Ana is Ana’s Name. - Xuan Anh, he, his
This is Xuan Anh. He is called Xuan Anh. Xuan Anh is his name.
If you desire more information (e.g. on Heteronormativity, non-binary etc) you can read more in the “reading corner” on the climate camp.
BI_PoC Empowerment Space
One space at the camp is a dedicated empowerment space for BI_PoC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour). This is a space for all people who experience racism and you are most welcome to enter and share your experiences and unite and empower. A guided empowerment workshop will take place here on Sunnday morning (in German). To ensure this is a safer space, all white (*1) persons cannot enter this room!
Definition power
Each individual has specific personal limits and these are always okay! Due to differing personal experiences and backgrounds we perceive border violations differently.
Be aware that other people can perceive border violation and discrimination when you may not feel the same.
If an individual experiences violence, encroachment and or discrimination, we accept the point of view of the one affected. The affected person has the definition power and we solidarize with the person.
(*1) “White” does not refer to a biological feature or to a actual skin colour, but to a political and social construction. Being white refers to the dominant and privileged position within the power relationship racism, which otherwise remains mostly unspoken and unnamed.
