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Awareness

TU Dortmund University is a place where many people with very different realities, experiences, backgrounds and positions come together. We want to deal with this diversity sensitively and professionally. It is important to us that everyone on campus feels respected and comfortable.

Awareness - what do we mean by this?

Awareness means attention, perception, consciousness. With the awareness of all those involved, a space should be created in which discriminatory behavior is countered preventively, active action is taken against it and affected persons receive support from an awareness team if necessary.

As every event is different, it is advisable to develop an awareness concept that is precisely tailored to it. SchuDS will be happy to advise you on the specific implementation of awareness work.

The following aspects can be considered for the awareness concept (and can also be used as inspiration):

  • We respect the diversity of the university community, including different opinions, backgrounds, positions and lifestyles.
  • We recognize that we are all different and have individual perspectives. We try to understand other people's perspectives, refrain from generalizations and stereotypes (e.g. "typically male, typically female") and handle sensitive topics responsibly.
  • We all make mistakes. If people use discriminatory language or statements, we make them aware of this through constructive comments. We are open to constructive criticism and accept it.
  • Not every disadvantage, impairment or disability is always visible. Our own idea of "normality" does not always correspond to that of other people.
  • Together, we want to create a non-discriminatory, non-judgmental space in which everyone feels welcome and respected - all participants are responsible for this. That is why we treat each other with respect and appreciation and communicate politely and constructively. Necessary criticism is presented and negotiated as objectively and situationally as possible.
  • We respect the privacy of others and ensure that we do not communicate in a way that violates boundaries, including via e-mail. We keep confidential information secret.
  • We encourage all participants to communicate their pronouns (including the use of no pronouns) and respect them.
  • We seek constructive and communicative ways to resolve conflicts and problems. We use the available institutional mechanisms for conflict resolution (e.g. awareness team, supervisor, advice center for protection against discrimination and sexualized violence (SchuDS), complaints office, etc.).
  • All participants are encouraged to take an active part in the discussion, because none of us knows everything, but together we know a lot.
  • We do not tolerate any form of discrimination, abuse of power, harassment or sexualized violence. The organizing team reserves the right to exclude participants from the event if necessary.
  • We use TU facilities, rooms and resources responsibly and attach great importance to the sustainable use of materials and energy.

There should be an awareness team at the event. Members of this team are impartial and offer those affected by discrimination or sexualized violence the opportunity to retreat to a counseling room, to reflect on the situation and to intervene with the person perpetrating the violence (if desired by the person affected).
The awareness team should be easily recognizable, e.g. with signal vests or name tags. Depending on the type of event, it can be at a fixed location or move around the event (or both). Depending on the type of event, contact via cell phone may also be useful. All contact should be subject to confidentiality and treated anonymously if desired.

During the entire event, there should be a place to retreat. This is where confidential discussions can take place or those affected can come to rest. The awareness team clarifies together with the person affected what need they are currently feeling (conversation, contacting friends/relatives, etc.). In addition, the room also offers the opportunity to have a conversation with the person perpetrating the violence. The room is known to the awareness team and is supervised by them.

An awareness bag containing, for example, hygiene products (pads and tampons), plasters, water, glucose, tissues, stress balls, etc. can be helpful.

Such a bag can be borrowed from the Equal Opportunities, Family and Diversity Office. They can be borrowed by prior appointment(schudstu-dortmundde).

In order to organize an event with as little discrimination and barriers as possible, the awareness team should use posters and notices to inform guests and participants of the event about the awareness offer, contact options and the Code of Conduct.

Basic information about the event should be compiled online on a website and also include information about the awareness concept.

Awareness work does not replace the police, emergency services, psychologists or security personnel. The goal is the well-being of all event participants. The awareness team is not a general complaints office. The numbers of relevant advice and complaints centers should be known to the awareness team (see also next paragraph "Helpful telephone numbers").

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