Safe Space Policies

Folk On The Rocks Safer Spaces Policy

PART 1 - COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS

Folk On The Rocks belongs to everyone. All Folkers are encouraged to be active participants in making Folk On The Rocks a safer space. We agree that every Folker is free to enjoy the Festival without experiencing any of the following:

  • Physical, sexual, and emotional violence;
  • harassment;
  • unsolicited physical contact;
  • non-consensual sexual attention, touch, and objectification;
  • hatefulness and hate speech;
  • shaming;
  • bullying;
  • deliberate intimidation and;
  • stalking or unwanted following.

*see Part 2 for all definitions and examples

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Ask For Consent

  • Respect people, their bodies, beliefs, possessions, and space;
  • Folk On The Rocks has a zero-tolerance policy towards explicit harassment and assault of any nature and;
  • Consent is active, conscientious, voluntary, verbal, and ongoing, and is not restricted to sexual contact.

Don’t Be A Bystander

  • If you witness a person acting in a way that appears threatening, violent, or aggressive, speak up!
  • Do not tolerate sexual, verbal, or physically harassing behaviour from your friends in any situation and;
  • Check in with fellow Folkers who may appear to be in a threatening situation.

Help And Ask For Help

  • Find out where the Sanctuary is located, and use it if you need support and;
  • If you witness or are involved in an assault or other dangerous situation, identify yourself to a Folk On The Rocks staff or Board member or member of the Sub Arctic Safety Squad (SASS) immediately.

*SASS members can be found wearing purple shirts across the Festival grounds

Folk On the Rocks strives to be a safer space for all people. Any Folker reasonably determined by a staff or Board member to be in violation of the Folk On The Rocks Community Agreements and/or any Canadian laws will be immediately removed from the Festival Site for the duration of the Festival. 

 FOTR commits to communicating these agreements to all Folkers, and holding all Folkers accountable to the community of Folk On The Rocks. 

Artists

  • If you witness violent, aggressive, or oppressive behaviour from the stage, call it out or alert a Folk On The Rocks stage crew or staff member immediately; 
  • If you witness incidents that transgress the Folk Code of Conduct taking place at after parties or anywhere within the Festival grounds, alert a Folk On The Rocks staff or Board member immediately and;
  • Look out for other artists, volunteers, and staff at after-hours events and throughout the site over the weekend.

Audience 

  • Maintain respectful and safe boundaries on dance floors and in crowded areas;
  • Be aware of the signs of distress, and alert a Folk Staff or Board member or SASS member if somebody needs help; 
  • Check in with your fellow Folkers to make sure that everybody is having a fun and safe festival and;
  • If you see somebody acting in a way that makes you or somebody else uncomfortable or unsafe, speak up! 

Staff and Volunteers 

  • Respond to all allegations of assault and harassment immediately and in support of the victim; 
  • Access all necessary resources to provide the support needed to the situation and people involved;
  • Identify ways to make the Festival a safer and more accessible space for all people and;
  • If you’re unsure of how to handle a situation contact your direct supervisor immediately. It is OK to ask for help.

Situation Management Procedure

If staff, a Board member, or SASS is approached about any harassment or violation of the Safer Space Policy, the following procedure will be followed:

  • Staff/SASS will collect and record details on the assault and harassment immediately from the victim, and in support of the victim;
  • SASS will provide the victim with a safe space and any resources required for processing their experience;
  • All other concerned parties will be spoken to regarding the situation;
  • Any parties determined to be in violation of the Safer Spaces Policy by staff or a Board member will be or removed from the site. In cases of reasonable misunderstanding, the party at fault will be issued a warning and;
  • Note that only staff and Board members hold the power to make a decision regarding removing any Folker from the Festival site.

PART 2 - DEFINITIONS

Assault means the act of inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or putting another person in apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact.

Consent means the voluntary, conscientious, freely given, active, and specific agreement to engage in any type of contact or activity

Discrimination means to deny any person any goods, services, accommodation or facilities, or to treat any person or class of persons in a demeaning or belittling way

A Folker is any person attending Folk On The Rocks Festival in any capacity. 

Sanctuary is the Folk On The Rocks “Chill Zone”, provided by the Sub Arctic Saftey Squad (SASS). Folkers can come here for water and sunscreen, or for help regarding harassment or any unsafe situations. Located near the Beer Garden, the exact location is on the Festival map available onsite and in the free mobile application.

Freedom means that every Folker is free to enjoy the Festival without experiencing any of the following:

  • Physical and sexual violence;
  • Physical and emotional abuse;
  • assault;
  • harassment;
  • unsolicited physical contact;
  • non-consensual sexual attention;
  • non-consensual objectification;
  • non-consensual touching or flirtation;
  • hatefulness;
  • shaming;
  • bullying;
  • deliberate intimidation;
  • stalking; and
  • following.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Written or verbal abuse, threats, or outbursts;
  • The display of visual material which is offensive to any persons;
  • Unwelcome remarks, jokes, comments, innuendo, or taunts;
  • Leering or other suggestive or obscene gestures;
  • Condescending or patronizing behaviour which is intended to undermine self-esteem, diminish performance or adversely affect conditions of participation;
  • Practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment, endanger a person’s safety, or negatively affect performance;
  • Any form of hazing;
  • Retaliation or threats of retaliation against an individual who reports harassment;
  • Bullying;
  • Offensive or intimidating phone calls, texts, voice mails or emails;
  • Displaying or circulating offensive pictures, photographs or materials in printed or electronic form;
  • Psychological abuse;
  • Discrimination and;
  • Behaviours such as described above that are not directed towards a specific individual or group but have the same effect of creating a negative or hostile environment.

Oppression means the unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power, whether explicit or through systemic policies and behaviours.

Threatening means the implicit or implied expression of an act of potential violence, discrimination, harassment, or oppression.

Violence is the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation (World Health Organization).

Stalking is the repeated act of unwanted pursuit or close proximity to an individual. FOTR defines proximity as consistently staying within a space of 30 meters for an extended period of time.

Zero Tolerance means that Folk On The Rocks will address all incidents and allegations of violence immediately and in support of the victim. Any Folker reasonably determined by a staff or Board member to be in violation of the Folk On The Rocks Community Agreements and/or any Canadian laws will be immediately removed from the Festival Site for the duration of the Festival.