Awareness
Code of Conduct of Cologne on Pop GmbH
Awareness at c/o pop
Awareness work
Guidelines
On-site support
What you can do
Terms & Info
Easy Language
Our Code of Conduct unites our values and how we want to implement them.
1. Equal treatment and protection against discrimination
We do not tolerate any forms of sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, discrimination, ageism, classism, trans- and queerophobia and all other forms of unfair and all other forms of unjustified unequal treatment. Cross-border, aggressive and/or violent behavior will lead to exclusion exclusion from the event. We condemn any form of violence or statements that call human dignity into question. This principle applies equally to all participants - from visitors to employees and artists.
2. Safety
We guarantee physical safety at our events and create visible events and create visible safer spaces. Safer spaces are safer spaces that are as free as possible from transgressions and discrimination.
Internally, we ensure financial and existential security through stable stable working conditions and promote DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) in our day-to-day work.
Individual security needs are taken into account, and we ensure continuity in terms of content and a shared understanding of values.
3. Meaningfulness
We identify with the content, values and ideals of our work and create work and create added value for society through our events.
4. Respect
We treat each other as equals and cultivate a respectful respectful, trusting interaction with one another by giving giving each other space to express and understand each other's opinions and positions.
5. Mindfulness
We create space to take care of each other and respect mutual boundaries. We understand mindfulness as an active, proactive and sensitive process.
6. Communication
We create spaces for conversations and actively seek exchanges under clear rules.
7. Consideration
We take ourselves back without neglecting our own needs.
8. Empathy
We show understanding for our counterparts, prevent discrimination through discrimination through empathic communication, are willing to compromise and open to a change of perspective.
9. Relevance
We question old ways of doing things and strive for continuous further training. Spontaneity is part of our work.
10. Reflection
We question our day-to-day actions and learn from mutual feedback.
11. Reliability
Internally, we communicate transparently, honestly and responsibly in order to reach binding agreements. Externally, we communicate a clearly identifiable and tangible concept to our visitors.
12. Joy
By experiencing our values, we feel joy, which enables us to do our work with passion.
13. Appreciation
Appreciation is the basis of our collaboration. Everyone should feel seen, heard and understood. We create a space in which everyone feels comfortable.
Cologne on Pop GmbH reserves the right to take appropriate measures in the event of violations, up to and including exclusion from the event and involvement of the police.
Content Note: This section deals with dealing with and preventing discrimination, transgressions and sexualized violence.
It is not only because of the #musicmetoo #deutschrapmeetoo campaigns or the band Rammstein that we know that sexualized violence is a form of discrimination that is very present in the music industry, whether on stage - artists -, backstage - people working in the music industry - or in front of the stage - visitors to concerts and festivals - wherever people take advantage of their powerful position, there is unfortunately always the possibility of assaultive, discriminatory behaviour.
People with disabilities are still not sufficiently considered in the context of festivals. For example, staff are often not sufficiently trained and do not react or react inadequately to support needs. Festival visitors who are not used to meeting people with obvious disabilities react strangely and make them feel like aliens and not welcome.
With this awareness concept, c/o pop wants to promote a society and, in particular, a festival culture with less discrimination and more safer spaces for everyone - especially marginalized groups. We are aware that awareness is an ongoing process that we want to and must constantly address. This concept should therefore be seen as a continuation of the knowledge gained in recent years.
After working with “Act Aware” on the basics of awareness work, we focused on sexualized violence and gender-appropriate language in the following year. This year, we want to break down further barriers in the spirit of inclusion to enable people with disabilities to participate in our festival. To this end, we have sought advice from Barrierefrei feiern e.V. and consulted people with disabilities as experts in their own right.
We are aware that c/o pop is not free of transgressions and discrimination. In order to come closer to our vision of safe coexistence for everyone, we are implementing awareness measures.
And this starts with reflection on ourselves: We examine our privileges and our actions.
We want to make our process transparent and see it as a basis for exchange and further development. We take our responsibility as a festival seriously and want to encourage other events to do the same.
We welcome constructive criticism and feedback.
“Awareness is an approach to counter sexualized violence, discrimination of all kinds and border crossings that exist in our society and therefore also in event spaces, on a preventative and practical level. The long-term goal of Awareness is to sensitize many people to these issues through low-threshold events and to exemplify a more considerate way of being together in order to achieve a change in society as a whole.” Source
Border crossings are defined individually by those affected: Which incidents lead to people feeling attacked, disregarded, discriminated against, hurt, belittled or overwhelmed is not questioned.
What is a harmless trifle for you can unfortunately cause others to lose their enjoyment of the party or event. If you are not sure whether your behavior is okay, we recommend asking too much rather than too little!
We act according to the principles of collective responsibility. For us, this means:
1. We all share responsibility. That's why we invite everyone - visitors, artists and the entire crew at the festival - to take responsibility together. To react wherever abusive behavior is observed.
2. Our approach is victim-centered: The perception of the person affected is not questioned. The person affected defines where an assault begins - solidarity is our top priority.
3. Consensus or consent: Individual boundaries are respected: No always means no! And even more important: only yes means yes!
Together, we want to create a non-discriminatory, non-judgmental space in which everyone feels welcome and respected - this is the responsibility of all participants. This guideline applies to our festival for appreciative and respectful interaction with one another.
1
We do not tolerate any form of discrimination. Actions that are violent or derogatory towards people based on their gender identity, body, origin, religion, age or sexual orientation will lead to exclusion from the event.
2
We actively combat sexism and sexualized violence. Be aware of your position and do not exercise power over others. Transgressions of any kind such as unwanted touching, staring, whistling or comments will not be tolerated.
3
We reject ableist behavior! Do not treat people with visible and non-visible disabilities like “aliens”. Treat them the same way you treat others. Leave barrier-free areas for people who really need them!
4
We respect individual boundaries: No always means no! And even more important: only yes means yes! Do not take or post photos of other people without their consent. All actions and conversations only take place with mutual consent - i.e. according to the principle of consensus.
5
Don't infer a person's gender identity from their appearance. Just because you read someone as male or female does not mean that person identifies that way. Ask about the pronoun with which “he, she, they, dey, name” would like to be addressed
6
The person concerned always decides where a boundary crossing begins and has the right to decide how to proceed after an incident. We do not question perceptions - solidarity comes first.
7
Show understanding, recognition and respect for things, practices or traditions of cultures. Be aware of the asymmetrical power relations that exist between cultures. We do not want the appropriation and instrumentalization of cultural, religious and political symbols.
Awareness Team
You can recognize the trained awareness team by the yellow vests with the eye on them. They are there for visitors and crew members when support is needed in the event of an excessive demand situation, border crossing or discrimination. You can meet them directly in the Awareness Space as well as on the move in individual clubs.
Contact
You can contact the team in person, by phone or through the admission staff. The support service is available to artists, visitors and crew.
Mobile awareness number: 015737238626
Availability
23. - 27.. April
Wednesday 19:30 - 22:30 (only at Schauspiel Köln)
Thursday 12:00 - 23:00
Friday 12:00 - 02:30
Saturday 16:30 - 22:30
Sunday 16:00 - 22:00
Awareness Space
Awareness Space is the central point of contact for questions and those affected.
It serves as a place of retreat where the Awareness Team can be found. Those affected can come there directly or be picked up by the awareness team to find protection and peace.
Equipped with seating and retreat options such as sofas, cushions, blankets as well as support and aid material such as glucose, water, sweets, stress balls and Oropax.
There is also information material for contact points in Cologne for further support.
You can find the Awareness Space here: tba
In order to make c/o pop a discrimination-free space, everyone's commitment is needed: visitors, service providers, artists and other participants.
You will not always be approached directly by the (potentially) affected person. If you observe a scene that seems strange to you, the 5 Ds will help you:
Distract: Distract by approaching the potentially affected person under a pretext, for example, to give them an opportunity to escape the situation.
Direct: If you feel safe, confront the person directly. Is there security nearby? Are there other people who could support you? Ask the perpetrator to stop their abusive/discriminatory/... behavior. If necessary, explain why the behavior is undesirable (e.g. with reference to the guidelines).
Delegate: Transfer the situation to a responsible person with a radio, such as security, your shift supervisor or directly to the awareness team, if available.
Delay: If none of these options are possible or you do not feel comfortable intervening yourself, wait for the situation to pass and approach the potentially affected person again later, check in with them and offer support if necessary or refer them to the awareness team.
Document: In some cases, it can help to document a situation so that you can pass it on to a responsible person later. What happened? Who was involved? This also applies to incidents within the team. If you observe active violence, it may be useful to take a photo or video in order to recognize the perpetrator. (>Only in consultation with the person concerned)
ABLEISM
Ableism refers to unjustified unequal treatment due to a physical or mental impairment or due to learning difficulties.
FLINTA*
The acronym stands for women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people. The acronym FLINTA* encompasses diverse identities with different life realities that experience exclusion due to their disadvantage and structural discrimination in the patriarchal system. FLINTA* are also affected by different forms of discrimination.
SEXISM
Sexism refers to various forms of positive and negative →discrimination against people based on their ascribed gender. At the same time, the term stands for the ideology underlying this phenomenon, which defines and hierarchizes gender roles. Men are positively discriminated against by sexism, i.e. privileged, while women are negatively discriminated against by sexism, i.e. devalued. The manifestations of sexism are culturally and historically determined. Sexism is particularly evident in the →marginalization of women, trans, non-binary and inter people.
SEXUALIZED VIOLENCE
Sexualized violence includes all sexual acts that are imposed or forced on people. It is an act of aggression and abuse of power, not the result of uncontrollable sexual urges. Sexualized violence ranges from the sexual harassment or rape of adult women to the sexual abuse of children.
The term “sexualized” is intended to make it clear that sexual acts are used to exert violence and power. Examples of sexualized violence include unwanted touching, sexual harassment, the unwanted display and visible attachment of pornographic images, verbal innuendo and even sexual abuse, sexual coercion and rape. Unnecessary physical contact, unwanted sexualized remarks and comments or jokes about the appearance of employees are also considered sexual harassment within the meaning of the →AGG. In contrast to harassment, the creation of a hostile environment is not a prerequisite.
BIPoC / BI_PoC
BIPoC stands for “Black Indigenous_People of Color”. The underscore indicates that there are non-white people who identify as “neither-nor” and is therefore a collective term for non-white people. In German: Schwarz, Indigenous - the term People of Color is not translated. All these terms are political self-designations.
nonbinary
This can be neutral, no gender or switch back and forth between several genders and refers to people who do not (want to) fit into the heteronormative gender system ('woman' or 'man'). They can, for example, locate themselves between these two genders, or completely outside of them, or even have no gender at all (agender). Some non-binary people identify as trans.
Inter
Someone who is intersex has both female and male sexual characteristics from birth. The difference, however, is that intersexuality can be determined by means of a chromosome analysis.
Trans*Gender / Trans*Person
People whose gender identity does not match the gender to which they were assigned at birth.
Cultural appropriation
Appropriation of cultural elements for personal use, commercialization or profit; including symbols, relics, art, language, customs, etc., often without understanding, recognition or respect for their value in the original culture.
LGBTQIA*
This abbreviation stands for: lesbian, gay/gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual. The asterisk* (also known as the gender star) and the underscore_ (also known as the gender gap) are used as placeholders to make all genders and identities beyond “male” and “female” visible.
You can find more terms at the Awareness Academy!
If you would like to look up various terms, we recommend the following pages with a glossary:
https://awareness-akademie.de/glossar/
https://diversity-arts-culture.berlin
If you would like to continue your education and attend workshops, we recommend the following initiatives:
The c/o pop is a music festival in Cologne.
The abbreviation is c/o pop.
The festival takes place every year in spring.
This year (2025) the festival is from April 23rd to April 27th.
The c/o pop is a good chance to get to know new music and artists.
The festival is an important part of the music scene in Germany.
Here is some important information:
1. Artists and bands:
Many musicians and bands perform at c/o pop.
There are well-known artists and new talents.Musicians from Cologne, Germany and other countries around the world take part.
Here you can see which artists are playing this year: Program
2. Different styles of music:
There is music from many genres: for example pop, indie and electro.
The concerts take place at various locations in Cologne Ehrenfeld, often in small clubs or special venues, such as hairdressing salons or Sparkasse branches.
3. Admission:
Many events are free, so even people with little money can attend the festival.
Some concerts cost money and you can buy tickets here: TICKETS
4. Workshops and meetings:
There are not only concerts.there are also workshops and meetings.
Musicians and people from the music industry can meet, get to know each other and discuss.
The program for the music industry is called the c/o pop Convention, where experts talk about music, culture and new ideas.
You can find more information here: c/o pop Convention
5. Offer of help:
If you would like to come to the festival and need help, we have an awareness team who will be happy to help you.
You can write us an e-mail in advance: awareness@c-o-pop.de.Oder call us on 0221 998 91100.
During the festival you will find the awareness team in the Awareness Space.
You can also call them on 0157 37238626.
We look forward to seeing you at c/o pop!