Embracing the values of acceptance and diversity is the first step to creating a safe space in your training room or your classroom. The notion of “safe space” is a highly debated one, having both avid supporters and critics.
In this module you will have the chance to better understand what a safe space is, see what its supporters and critics have to say about it, and learn how to build a safe space when in an educational context.
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The concept of safe space applies to many disciplines (healthcare, psychology, science, education) and can have two different meanings; a place where people are protected from physical danger, or a place where inequality and unfair treatment are not tolerated, i.e. a place where one feels free to think, act, and express themselves without the fear of being judged, harassed or told off.
Hunter (in Barrett, 2010) mentions four different parameters that constitute a safe space, starting with a place that fulfils all the necessary safety requirements (good ventilation, proper infrastructure, etc.). The second parameter involves a metaphorical safe space, which echoes its most widely known meaning: a space where participants can think, speak and act freely and where intolerance, inequity and judgement are barred, while the third parameter relates to the level of familiarity between the first two parameters. Last, the fourth parameter has to do with the level of artistic and aesthetic freedom participants may enjoy within that space.
Taking all the above into account, a safe space in an educational context can be defined as a place where all participants feel that they can express themselves and their individuality freely, without being afraid that they will be treated unfairly or that they will be judged.
The notion of safe space is a highly debated one, though. It has avid supporters, who claim that a safe environment can help participants learn better without being afraid of what others will think, say, or do, as well as critics who hold that a safe space can mute participants’ voices and that it cannot actually help build a safe community, as inequalities will always exist within the learning environment and the outside world. Also, critics maintain that the construction of safe spaces mainly comes from a privileged point of view.
In this module, safe spaces are defined as the learning environment in which participants are treated fairly and are given the opportunity to express themselves. However, this does not mean that opinions which should be criticized will be celebrated instead; rather, the participants who voice such opinions should have the chance to explain themselves, while the trainer should make sure to set boundaries and rules as to which opinions are accepted in the training room (racist or sexist remarks should be explained and barred, for instance, rather than not being voiced at all). Also, safe spaces are defined in a physical perspective, too, meaning a space where participants feel that they are not at imminent physical risk.
