While no one facilitating a Climate for Change Conversation has ever felt in danger, should such a situation arise it is important to trust your own instincts and remember that your safety is the most important thing.

Tips:

• Have a few emergency numbers on hand, saved in your phone so that you can make a phone call or send a text message if you feel unsafe at any time
  • For example, Program Manager, Mentor or a fellow facilitator

• Let your family/partner/housemate know where you are going

• Trust your instincts - if something feels wrong, trust yourself and remove yourself from the situation

In an emergency situation, dial 000 for the police, ambulance or fire brigade.

Host Guide

On page 4 of the Host Guide we include the sentence, "We are happy for you to provide alcohol, but please be aware that too much alcohol during the Conversation can make the evening difficult for your facilitator."

It is rare that guests will drink to excess or take drugs, however, we recommend you bring their attention to this section of the guide each time you prepare a host.

Leaving early

In the unlikely case you need to leave before the conclusion of the Conversation, you could say, "Okay, so we're just going to take a quick 2 minute toilet break", and then approach the host and say "Hey (host), I'm really sorry but I have to go. I know you tried hard to get people here but I don't think this is working for me. Maybe we can try again at another time."

Uncomfortable situations

If you don't feel you need to leave but experience something that made you quite uncomfortable, at the end of the Conversation you could say to your host "I'm a bit disappointed in how tonight has turned out" or "tonight went differently to how it should have" to let them know that something was wrong. You could also ask the Program Manager or your mentor for support in providing feedback to the host after the session ends. 

In any of these cases, please report the incident to the Program Manager as soon as possible.