We nurture our community through education. Support individuals through community values. Empower the community by safely building confidence and inspire representation in the music industries.
As a community we have been working on this policy for some time. Holding space for deep conversations, we have collectively explored what safety means to us and how we’d like to implement it into spaces where we exist and operate.
This is the first version of how we’re actively creating safe spaces in the work we do. In addition to this policy we will be creating a contracts to ensure our community values are being upheld by those we work with.
We propose that by acting in accordance with the guidelines outlined below, we will be able to create safe spaces for the marginalised and the majority.
Our focus has been predominantly in spaces where music is consumed. Our policy extends to spaces that we use and have deemed in keeping with our ethos.
Safe – feeling comfortable to be your whole, divine, beautiful self. Not feeling the need to perform or be a version of yourself.
Space – a physical or virtual environment where everyone feels comfortable taking part in communal activities.
Therefore we’re looking to create spaces that are accessible to everyone and are without judgement.
N.B We believe there are many spaces that already cater to a white, cis-male crowd and therefore our focus and research has been around spaces for women, gender minorities and people of colour.
Door Policy:
Security
- Selextorhood will ensure door staff are briefed on our policy at SLX events
- Security will be there to provide a safe presence and carry out their duties
- Any intimidating or discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated
- If a member of security is deemed to have behaved in an inappropriate way, we will have a conversation with them and follow it up with the firm they are employed by
N.B Selextorhood is continuously reviewing and choosing to work with practitioners who employ good practice and care in their work.
Dress Code
- Wear what feels good!
Crowd Behaviour:
Don’t Assume
- People present themselves differently day-to-day, please don’t assume gender, ability or… anything
- If you don’t know, ask!
Listen
- Actively listen, it’s the key to good communication and great conversation
- We are all each other’s teacher and student
Be Aware
- That not everyone likes to be touched
- That everyone has different lived experiences and different triggers
On Stage Protocol:
- Please respect that the DJ is working, they are the vibe creators
- If you’re supporting the DJ please bring energy and smiles
- Remember who Selextorhood centers and make space for them
Dance Floor Etiquette:
- Dancers to the front
- Respect your neighbour
- Stay hydrated, Selextorhood will ensure free water is available at our events
Selextorhood has Zero Tolerance to:
- Harassment. Inc but not limited to sexual, unwanted touches, verbal
- Discrimination. Inc but not limited to race, gender, identity, sexuality
N.B If unwanted behaviour is brought to our attention, we will follow up the incident with those involved and ask people to leave the event if necessary and safe to do so.
Conflict Resolution:
Pause
- Take as long as you need to cool off
Respond
- Responses are more considered than reactions, we encourage you to think before you react
Selextorhood Safe Spacers
- Trained members of community who are on hand to help de escalate
- If you have an issue or would like to speak with someone, please find a Selextor on Duty
Break Out Space:
- We commit to providing a quiet space for people to take time away from the event
Alcohol & Drugs:
- Not everyone wants to partake, for many different reasons, personal or religious beliefs, medical or because they don’t want to and that’s ok
- Please respect individual decisions to take, or not to take drugs
- Peer pressure isn’t cool
Getting Home Safely:
- If you’re worried, pleaser plan your route home before arriving
- Travel with people you feel safe with or share your location with a friend
- If you are worried about getting home, please speak to a Safe Spacer
- If you need to charge your phone before leaving the event please speak to a Safe Spacer
Selextorhood Anti Racism Policy V.1
Women, and even more so Black women are severely underrepresented in the music business as outlined by Inclusion in the Music Business: Gender & Race/Ethnicity Across Executives, Artists & Talent Teams by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Dr. Carmen Lee, Marc Choueiti, Dr. Katherine Pieper, Zoe Moore, Dana Dinh & Artur Tofan (2021) and the UK Music Diversity Report.
In our effort to inspire change in the music industries we have outlined these commitments to contribute to the equalising of race and gender and be transparent in what we are working towards.
Structural:
We know that racism is systemic. During the second uprising of the BLM movement in 2020 we made a commitment to stand in solidarity with Black people. We are making sure that this commitment is more than lip service by committing to actionable things so that SLX is a true representation of the Black community in Birmingham.
- Recruitment: to ensure that our organisation and community is diverse and an accurate representation of the city we have looked at our own stats and can report that 25% of Selextorhood DJs are Black this will increase to 39% after our last engagement project Music From The Margins
- In Birmingham 9% of the population is Black
- 50% of the Selextorhood management / leadership team is Black
- There will be at least two Black people in the committee who steer the direction of the CIC
Historical and Education in Safe Spaces:
We acknowledge that DJing is a historically Black art form started by DJ Kool Herc and DJ Grand Master Flash. We are working with Black led arts organisations to deliver annual programmes that continue to support and resource more people who want to get into DJing. We aim to have community curated events that centre specific communities.
-
- We will teach people who engage with our community about where DJing has come from
- We will provide bursary spaces specifically for Black people
- Commit to running an annual programme specifically for Black DJs that provides a learning space and resources
- Run parties and closed spaces that are specifically for individual POC communities and this work will be led by people who have those lived experiences. We will do one of these per year and get resources to make it happen as community curated activity
Everyday:
SLX serves a wide community, but has a very small team, therefore we are being intentional about acknowledging what we can do and places where we can do more.
We aim to lead by example with the DJs we book. We know that anti racist work is an essential part of building our community, we will highlight and spotlight organisations, collectives, individuals who are already doing the work, collaborate where we can and step out of the way when it is necessary.
- Raise awareness by having a mix of identities on as many bookings as possible
- Work with Black led organisations
