A crisis can mean multiple things during an event. It may be an unexpected or emergent moment, interaction, or disruption that is concerning or harmful to individuals and/or to the broader group. While crises may be unpredictable, there are ways you can prepare for crisis moments as you plan your event.
Considerations/Questions
Plan protocols/potential responses in advance
Imagine or anticipate the types of crises you may encounter and how you plan to address them. You could apply a Safety Plan approach and lay out steps for how you may engage in scenarios such as someone who is disruptive or causing intentional harm in the chat box; a participant who is activated and experiencing high distress; high tension or conflict among participants; etc.
Identify who will be the point person for handling crises
If you have a team, identify which team member (i.e. Care Coordinator or Vibe Moderator) will be the point person to tend to crisis moments. If you are facilitating alone, consider how you may call upon attendees to help respond to crises. You may take a more communal approach and integrate this into the group code of conduct, i.e. including an agreement that all participants are welcome and encouraged to practice collective care by addressing crisis moments when they occur.
Prepare resources and supports
Generating a list of resources and supports will be helpful for all stages of crisis management. Resources and supports can include somatic, embodied, grounding, or meditative practices or tools; links to mental health or spiritual care providers; processing exercises; body movements; an accountability partner; peer support; etc. Be creative and expansive in what forms of support can be accessed.
Aligning values with your approach
Preparing for how and what crisis handling looks like are an opportunity to reflect on and implement values you’d like the group to enact. Who and what are we centering in this space? For example, crisis responses may center on accountability or harm reduction or dismantling carceral/punitive measures. Taking time to integrate values can help you articulate the why of your crisis handling measures, as well as acknowledge limitations or tradeoffs to the responses you plan or may prioritize (among many options).
