MAKE A DIFFERENCE

COPENHELL is not just a festival – it is a genuine pilgrimage for people who know what matters in life! And one of those things is looking out for each other. The vast majority of people actually want to help when they see something that is not okay, but it can often be hard to know what to do when it comes down to it: What if I am misreading the situation? What if they get angry with me? Should I do anything at all?

The good news is that you don’t need a complete action plan before you head to the festival, because your role as a festival guest is not to solve every problem that you encounter.

At COPENHELL we encourage what we call good bystander culture by actively involving the audience in helping people who have bad experiences. We want to build on the festival as a safe space, but nothing is perfect when people gather so we need to help each other – with your own safety always as the first priority.

Here is a handful of good tips for what you can do in different situations:

– As a first step, seek help from the festival’s Crowd Safety staff in orange vests or our first-aiders in the festival’s entrance area

– Approach people who seem to be struggling and ask if they are okay. Please walk them to our Safe & Sound tent next to the first-aiders in the festival entrance area – it is there for anyone who becomes overwhelmed, experiences anxiety or the like

– Be alert if others are behaving in ways that cross boundaries and distract the person if possible, or help the person who looks pressured to get away

– Support friends who may have experienced something unpleasant – you can make a big difference by talking to them, but also by simply being present

– If your own friends have strayed a little and forgotten the good COPENHELL spirit, it is also up to you to remind them that mutual respect is the way forward

– The feeling of safety matters to everyone, and you can help the entire festival community by always showing respect and care for others, especially when it is needed the most.