Who are the Amareness Team?
You may have seen them last GalaCon, they were the ones walking around with pink vests!
The Amareness team is an emotional support crew, and consists of trained and helpful volunteers who are here to support you throughout the convention.
Their goal is to help make GalaCon a place where everyone feels safe, respected, and welcome.
You can come to the Amareness team whenever you feel unsafe/alone/harassed/overwhelmed. It is important to them that you have control in those difficult situations. They won’t do anything you haven’t agreed to beforehand.
Their work can be listening, de-escalation, helping with stress/overwhelm/conflicts/harassment/heartbreak or offering you skills to calm your mind. You don’t need to have a specific reason or know exactly what you need. If something doesn’t feel right, you’re welcome to talk to the Amareness team.
They walk around in pink vests & pink fanny packs, filled with snacks, ear plugs, paper tissues, hair ties… if you need a little thing for your well-being, just ask!
You can reach the team both days throughout the whole convention. You can talk to them directly, call them at +49 176 46101722, reach out or via Telegram @Amarenessteam. After the con, their Telegram account will still be active. You can scan the QR code in the con guide or to the left of this paragraph to contact them.
Unfortunately, discrimination and violence can also occur at conventions.
At GalaCon, people with different personal boundaries and backgrounds come together. Ideas regarding where specific boundaries in our interactions lie or should lie can vary significantly. You determine your own emotional and physical boundaries, and each boundary is perfectly valid.
Our awareness policy takes a firm stand against any form of boundary violation, violence, or discrimination—whether stemming from sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or ableist actions and statements. Any form of dehumanizing behavior is not tolerated at GalaCon. We take action against it, and the Amareness team provides support for those affected.
But awareness is no job for just one team—it starts with you! Please respect your own boundaries and those of others, and look out for each other. A safer convention is something we create together.
This year, GalaCon has two small quiet rooms! The quiet rooms are open for everybody. They are located between the karaoke room and the fursuit lounge. If you aren’t able to access them by yourself, the Amareness team can show you there and help you if you feel overstimulated.
At conventions, everypony often forgets self-care. Conventions mean there are a lot of people around you, it’s loud, there are programs everywhere, and suddenly, BOOM! Overstimulation. But Little Treat (our mascot!) and her team are happy to help!
Nobody needs to be alone when feeling bad, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Be it with a small snack, a place to calm down, or someone to talk to, the Amareness Team is there for you!
Please drink & eat enough, take breaks, and listen to your body. There’s no shame in skipping a panel if you need to care for yourself!
Your Amareness team & Lillie <3
For an easy overview or a quick reminder, look for flyers like the one below around GalaCon!
