Equity & Ethics Practices
Last updated: November 2023
Approach
Body Remedy centres physical practice for self-recovery and so care and active attention to mitigate possible sites of harm, neglect and abuse is present throughout all of Body Remedy’s activities.
What constitutes harm and safety is not only vast, but also varies from individual to individual, sometimes in ways which are oppositional. In acknowledging that what may feel safe to one individual, might feel unsafe to another, or leave another indifferent, Body Remedy actions general safeguarding procedures with an understanding that additional procedures need to be applied specifically to context and that those processes and practices are not static, but continuously becoming.
Facilitated conversations, both groups and one-to-ones are utilised to feed into and effect decision making in the organisation. Body Remedy also has a diversely experienced network of advisors who are in continuous dialogue with the Body Remedy team.
What does this document contain?
This document outlines:
What principles Body Remedy asks all participants and contributors to follow
How participants and contributors can share concerns relating to their experiences at spaces hosted by Body Remedy
What processes the organisation actions to create safer spaces
What principles Body Remedy asks all participants and contributors to follow
Honour and respect the experiences of fellow participants and contributors.
Be considerate of how class and workshop leaders are holding a space.
People may be coming to the space in varying capacities that may differ to your own. This might influence how someone wants to engage with the space. Be mindful and respectful of this when engaging with each other.
Arrive to classes, workshops or arrangements ahead of or on time. Where this is not possible, do communicate this.
Notify Body Remedy advice where attendance for classes, workshops or arrangements.
Body Remedy specifically supports Black and People of colour who identify as women and non-binary. Be mindful of this when addressing fellow participants and contributors, and when inviting people to activities hosted by Body Remedy.
2. How participants and contributors can share concerns relating to their experiences at spaces hosted by Body Remedy
Participants and contributors are encouraged to share any concerns with the organisation’s Director or their main point of contact relating to their engagement with the organisation.
This can be done at any point in the duration of the class, workshop, residency or arrangement. Alternatively this can be done after through any previously exchanged contact details or by emailing info@mybodyremedy.com.
Protocol upon concern being registered
Reassurance that all concerns are valid and are taken seriously by the organisation
Body Remedy will aim to resolve the immediate aspects of discomfort as quickly as possible
Led by the Director, the organisation will then try to gain a holistic understanding of the circumstances of the concern which might involve speaking to relevant Body Remedy team members and any others involved.
All those involved, including the person or people who have raised the concern will be kept updated and informed.
Upon building a cohesive understanding of the circumstances and content of the concern, the organisation will identify which elements are outwith of control; are oversights in Body Remedy’s producing strategies; are oversights in Body Remedy’s policies.
The organisation will then produce a responsive series of actions to be taken. Body Remedy will communicate, with an emphasis on transparency, this response to all those involved and who we can identify may have been affected.
The actions will then be taken. All actions and learnings relating to producing and policy will be communicated to the wider Body Remedy team.
3. What processes the organisation actions to create safer spaces
Outlined in this section are the different contexts of Body Remedy’s activities and what steps are taken by Body Remedy to create safer spaces for participants and contributors. The development of these processes is continuous in line with the organisation’s learnings. For each type of activity, a checklist which are forever evolving working documents. These are used to allow whoever is involved in organising the activity to have an understanding of what is needed to safely deliver said activity, the steps which are needed to be taken and to mitigate the same types of oversight happening more than once.
Classes/Workshops
Inception
Classes and workshops are curated by Body Remedy with the intent to provide a diverse range of potential supports for BPOC women and non-binary people to engage with their bodies, to identify and practice what self care and recovery might look like.
In advance of class/workshop
Participants need to register their attendance in advance. In this registration they share emergency contact details, any relevant health or medical information and confirm that the class is appropriate for them to attend. This information is only shared with relevant parties when relevant. Examples:
with class/workshop leaders or facilitators if they need awareness of this to safely carry out their work.
with medical services in case of an accident.
Class/workshop leaders provide emergency contact details.
During class/workshop
There is always a member of the Body Remedy team as a point of contact at any workshop or class. They make themselves known to the participants at the beginning of class and share all housekeeping information. They also reiterate what the class or workshop is/is about.
A Body Remedy representative monitors the entrance and exits to the room in which class/workshops are taking place for the duration of the class.
Water is made readily available for participants to remain hydrated.
A low sensory room separate from the workshop space is available for participants to use at their discretion.
Residency
Inception
One of the considered aspects in the production of Body Remedy’s residencies is where partnership and hosting organisations and institutions are at in their own safeguarding practices. An understanding of this is acquired through sustained open dialogue between Body Remedy’s Director and producers and the partnership or hosting organisation.
Bespoke measures and actions are made in relation to the safety of participants for each individual residency in response to the above but also with the consideration of any specific information shared by participants with Body Remedy. Participants have shared emergency contact information and any relevant health/medical information ahead of the residency. To be clear, this private information will not be shared (unless explicitly requested) with partnership organisations, Body Remedy will negotiate whatever is needed to help alleviate risk.
During residency
All residencies have a dedicated Body Remedy point of contact. Participants are given contact details for this point of contact as well as additional contact details for one other Body Remedy team member, in case of emergency.
Participants receive building/venue inductions at the beginning of their residency.
Associate Artists Development or Commissioning
Fees
Body Remedy pays artists and creatives for an initial conversation as an acknowledgement for their time.
Fees for any work or commissioning are outlined ahead of artists beginning the work and are negotiated with a mindfulness of how much work is expected to be done. Body Remedy aims to be clear in regards to how much is expected in order not to contribute to a culture of exploiting artists and creatives.
Body Remedy uses a cross reference approach of considering industry standards; membership organisations’ advised rates of pay such as Scottish Artists Union, Equity, a-n The Artist Information Company, Independent Theatre Company; Living Wage and consultation from our Advisory Group. The aim for using this method is to offer fair fees.
Mediating with third parties or partnership organisations
Body Remedy team members will not share any personal information of artists or creatives that Body Remedy is in conversation with, supporting or working with to third parties or partnership organisations without permission from the relevant artist or creative.
Body Remember Producing and Coordinating Team
The Body Remedy Team are supported with and offered the following resources:
Financial contributions towards personal access to work are available
Frameworks of collective working which support access to work needs
Coaching
Facilitated conversations
Financial contribution to professional and creative development
Mediation
Where supports cannot be provided within the organisation’s capacity, Body Remedy endeavours to be in partnership with organisations which can.