Pledge

We’re happy you’re here, fringer. You belong here. When you fringe with us, you join a community that is vibrant, diverse, inclusive, welcoming, and safe.

We believe in creating safer spaces that celebrate creative risk, and we’re committed to creating safer spaces where community thrives. We’re all in this together – thanks for being awesome.

Creating a safer space requires the commitment, accountability, and support from each person in our community. Below is our pledge making the Fringe Theatre Arts Barns and the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival safer spaces. We invite you to please join us in this commitment!

We commit to helping maintain a safe space that is inclusive to all, and will:

  • Be mindful that our community is on Treaty Six land, and as such we are all Treaty persons;
  • Walk side by side with our Indigenous leaders, teachers, elders, and community members as we learn to respond to the call for reconciliation in meaningful, intentional, and patient ways;
  • Identify gaps and barriers in organizational knowledge;
  • Take an active role in maintaining a safe and inclusive space that embraces all forms of diversity;
  • Give individuals and groups who are speaking or performing our attention and respect; 
  • Assume a positive intent from others and listen and learn when the impact of our actions may not match our intent;
  • Respect other’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual boundaries;
  • Seek out support when we are in need;
  • Be mindful of routes, facilities, and spaces that are designated for persons needing accessibility accommodations and avoid utilizing or blocking them;
  • Use a person’s pronouns;
  • Use inclusive language and listen and learn when language used may have been exclusive;
  • Use respectful language and a calm tone when communicating with others; and
  • Engage in conversations about making our spaces move inclusive.