Creating Spaces Where Everyone Can Belong

At the Sexual Freedom Festival, we believe that the way we gather is just as important as why we gather.

Our Approach to Care

At the Sexual Freedom Festival, care is not an add-on to the experience. It is part of how we gather, learn, create and relate to one another.

Our approach to care is rooted in African feminist values that recognise our interconnectedness and shared responsibility for the wellbeing of our communities. We understand that meaningful participation becomes possible when people feel respected, supported and able to show up as themselves.

We believe that care takes many forms. It includes creating accessible environments, practising consent, honouring boundaries, making space for diverse experiences and responding to one another with empathy and accountability. It also means recognising that no space is perfect and that building safer, more inclusive communities is an ongoing practice of learning, reflection and collective responsibility.

Care is not something that organisers provide alone. It is something we create together through the choices we make, the relationships we build and the ways we show up for ourselves and one another throughout the festival.

Care means:

Creating accessible environments

Practicing consent

Honouring boundaries

Welcoming diverse experiences

Responding with empathy

Our Care in Practice

Accessibility

We remove barriers to participation

Community Agreements

We build respectful relationships

Shared Responsibility

We all contribute to creating safer spaces

Collective Care

We care for one another

Community Agreements

PRACTICE CONSENT

Seek clear consent, honour personal boundaries and recognise that everyone has the right to choose how they participate.

CARE FOR OURSELVES AND ONE ANOTHER

Notice your own needs while remaining attentive to the wellbeing of those around you. Ask for support when you need it and offer support where you are able.

EMBRACE ACCOUNTABILITY

When harm or misunderstanding occurs, we encourage approaches grounded in honesty, reflection, repair and learning. Accountability is an ongoing practice that strengthens our community.

LISTEN WITH CURIOSITY

Approach conversations with openness, recognising that our experiences, identities and perspectives may differ. Make space for learning, reflection and respectful dialogue.

RESPECT DIFFERENCE

Celebrate the diversity of identities, cultures, lived experiences and ways of knowing that enrich our community. Engage across difference with humility and care.

CONTRIBUTE TO COLLECTIVE CARE

Every interaction helps shape the festival experience. Together, we create the conditions for meaningful participation, creativity and connection.

The Sexual Freedom Festival is built through the relationships we create with one another.

Our Community Agreements are shared commitments that help us cultivate spaces where people can participate with dignity, curiosity and care. They are not about achieving perfection. They are about creating a culture where we take responsibility for how we show up, how we relate to one another and how we respond when challenges arise.

Accessibility

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in the Sexual Freedom Festival.

Accessibility is an ongoing practice of listening, learning and responding to the diverse needs of our community. We recognise that people experience festivals in different ways and that creating more inclusive spaces requires flexibility, openness and collaboration.

We believe that care takes many forms. It includes creating accessible environments, practising consent, honouring boundaries, making space for diverse experiences and responding to one another with empathy and accountability. It also means recognising that no space is perfect and that building safer, more inclusive communities is an ongoing practice of learning, reflection and collective responsibility.

Care is not something that organisers provide alone. It is something we create together through the choices we make, the relationships we build and the ways we show up for ourselves and one another throughout the festival.

Accessibility at a Glance

Accessible venue information

Language and interpretation support

Quiet and wellbeing spaces

Information shared in advance to support planning

Contact the festival team about your access needs

Collective Responsibility

ARRIVE WITH CURIOSITY

Approach the festival with an openness to learn from different perspectives, lived experiences and ways of knowing.

EMBRACE REFLECTION & ACCOUNTABILITY

Be willing to reflect on your actions, acknowledge mistakes and engage in conversations that support learning, repair and growth.

CARRY THE PRACTICE FORWARD

The Sexual Freedom Festival is more than a gathering. It is part of a wider African feminist movement. We invite you to carry the relationships, ideas and practices you experience here into your own communities long after the festival ends.

PARTICIPATE WITH RESPECT

Honour consent, personal boundaries and the dignity of every person you encounter, recognising that respectful participation creates the conditions for meaningful dialogue and connection.

CONTRIBUTE TO COLLECTIVE CARE

Take care of yourself while remaining attentive to the wellbeing of others. Small acts of kindness, generosity and awareness help create a welcoming environment for everyone.

The Sexual Freedom Festival is shaped by everyone who takes part in it.

Creating a space rooted in care, accessibility and belonging is not the responsibility of organisers alone. It is something we build together through the choices we make, the relationships we nurture and the ways we show up for one another.

Need Support?

Creating a caring community also means recognising that everyone may need support at different moments.

Whether you have questions before the festival, require accessibility support, need assistance navigating the venue or would like to speak with someone during the gathering, we encourage you to reach out. Seeking support is welcomed and respected, and no concern is too small to raise.

Get Support