Organizing Our Communities for Safer Events & Building Belonging

SESSION DESCRIPTION

In a time when public events like Pride, Juneteenth, and other celebrations increasingly face external threats from bad actors, it is essential that arts and culture event organizers prioritize audience and community safety. Fortunately, cultural venues and cultural organizers have unique strengths when it comes to fostering safety with a focus on belonging and building community.

Led by Western States Center, this session introduced practical tools and frameworks from the Protecting Pride and Venue Safety guides that are applicable to a range of events and cultural programming—focusing on how proactive planning, clear policies, and strong community partnerships can help create inclusive, resilient spaces. Participants engaged in scenario-based discussions to strengthen their readiness and left with actionable strategies to support safer, more welcoming events.

If you have specific questions about preparing for an upcoming cultural event, the Western States Center offers free consultation services for nonprofits. You can contact them directly at info@wscpdx.org and mention the Levitt network training.