Accessibility

Here you will find information on accessibility and awareness at the festival.

Living diversity

The AUGENBLICK MAL! Festival is once again celebrating inspiring productions for young audiences this year. We have set ourselves the goal of actively tackling existing barriers and want to create a diversity-sensitive festival.

Everyone is welcome

Why do we want a festival for everyone?

ASSITEJ e.V., the association of theatres for young audiences in Germany, its projects and the Children's and Young People's Theatre Centre, position themselves in favour of respectful coexistence. We pursue an approach that is critical of power and discrimination and position ourselves against historically and socially evolved power relations of anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of structural discrimination. The association is committed to diversity and equal opportunities as well as compliance with human rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the UN Convention against Racism (ICERD), the free, democratic basic order and the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG).

The principles of our work can be found here.

Get along

General information about the festival, such as how to get to the venues, the ticket service/ticketing, the schedule and supporting programme and the team, can be found on our website using the respective tabs.

We offer prior admission to selected performances and events such as the opening and the ASSITEJ evening for those for whom general admission is difficult. The respective meeting points are signposted at the venues. The respective meeting point will be announced at registration or when booking tickets.

The programme will be held mainly in German spoken language. There are a few English-language events and programme items with translation into German sign language. All venues are accessible for wheelchair users. A wayfinding system provides orientation within the venue and its premises. Unfortunately, there is no tactile guidance system for blind visitors at the venues. If you encounter uncommunicated or actual barriers, please feel free to approach us. We will do our best to find individual solutions for a barrier-free festival visit.

Trigger warnings are notices that warn of content or stimuli that may trigger unpleasant reactions in some people. Content warnings address topics such as discrimination, violence, or abuse that may have an emotional impact. Sensory stimuli warn of strong impressions such as loud noises or bright lights. Trigger warnings are provided in the programme on our website to protect visitors from unexpected stress and to give them the choice of whether they want to deal with certain content.

Possible barriers and accessibility measures are indicated by icons on site and on this website. Icons are helpful for orientation and indicate where things are happening. The following icons are used:

Food and drink will be available at the festival centres. The food on offer at the festival centres will mainly be vegetarian and vegan. Some of the bars will be open as normal, offering drinks at affordable prices. If you have any questions about allergies or food intolerances, the catering staff will be happy to help.

At Theater an der Parkaue, there is a low-stimulus quiet area and sanitary facilities/care stations. In both festival centres, there will be opportunities for retreat in the ‘Kleine-Auszeit-Ecken’ (little time-out corners)".

There is a BIPoC safer space at the festival centre at Theater an der Parkaue. This place is designed as a retreat and safer space and invites visitors who experience racism and other forms of discrimination. It is designed as a supportive, non-judgmental space where the identity and boundaries of each individual are respected. If needed, talk to our awareness team, who will accompany you to the BIPoC safer space room.

The festival will be accompanied by an awareness team. Awareness (from the English ‘to be aware’: to be conscious of something) means being conscious and sensitive to structural discrimination and boundary violations and their consequences. It is about respecting, preserving and protecting individual boundaries and needs – both one's own and those of others.

Awareness work at cultural events means that a specially trained team ensures that everyone feels safe and respected. They help when someone needs support and make sure that no one has to deal with a situation of boundary violation or discrimination alone. Discrimination can happen in many places and in different contexts. The team works actively to prevent this and draws consequences.

The awareness info in the foyer and an info stand at Theater Strahl invite you to engage with awareness, structural discrimination and social power relations, to inform and exchange ideas. Our guidelines for respectful and mindful interaction in the spirit of awareness will be available to download here soon.

A code of conduct is a set of rules or agreements for respectful interaction with one another. These agreements help us to treat each other with respect and solidarity in the community. For the festival, we have defined the following agreements for respectful interaction with one another: 

Our Code of Conduct

• We create an open environment in which diversity is valued.

• We fight discrimination: We do not tolerate discrimination under any circumstances and take a firm stand against prejudice.

• We respect gender identities: We respect the gender identities of all people.

• We use gender-neutral language and respect individual pronouns.

• We work together and show solidarity to create an inclusive community.

• We promote acceptance: We actively advocate for the acceptance and inclusion of everyone, regardless of skin colour, ethnic origin, religion and belief, age, disability, social origin, body norms, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.

• We educate ourselves: We are committed to continuous education and awareness-raising. We speak out against discrimination.

• We report discrimination securely: We provide mechanisms for the secure reporting o

Improving ourselves

We hope that you all had an accessible and unforgettable festival visit. We are aware that we cannot remove all barriers at once because we lack the necessary perspectives and sufficient resources. We want to recognise them, name them and communicate them transparently to the outside world. Therefore, we welcome any information by email to augenblickmal@parkaue.de or you can contact us on site. Together we want to create a festival that is free of discrimination and offers equal opportunities.