Students and confidential advisers Misha and Naud about social safety
How are the confidential advisers at via involved in students’ social safety?
The confidential advisers at via are there for members, as a point of contact for unacceptable behaviour within via, and for the board as advisers on social safety within the association. Naturally, the confidential advisers work confidentially and are available to victims, those accused, and others involved. Even if you are unsure whether something counts as a problem, you can always come to us for a listening ear or to think together about possible solutions. In any case, you can always approach or speak to us if something is on your mind!
Why is attention to social safety important?
Attention to social safety is important because we want everyone to feel comfortable within the association. We want an open and safe atmosphere in which people feel free to speak up if there is something they feel uneasy about. By paying attention to this, we try to make problems open for discussion and to prevent unpleasant situations as much as possible.
How can we create and maintain a safe study environment at the Faculty of Science, in your view?
We can create and maintain a safe study environment by making it clear from the very beginning where students can go if something is bothering them, including within courses or projects. It is important that attention is not only paid to major issues, but also to smaller things, such as when someone does not feel comfortable in a project group. It would be good if everyone could indicate that without it immediately being seen as a problem or a conflict.
What is your advice to students who may witness or experience unwanted behaviour?
Depending on whether you feel comfortable doing so, it is always good to address someone directly about their behaviour. If that does not feel right, you can always contact one of the confidential advisers (within the association or at the UvA) or get in touch with the board of an association. You never need to worry that a report is “too small” or “not serious enough”. Nothing has to be done with it straight away either: a confidential adviser can also simply offer a listening ear!
What is already going well in the area of social safety? And what can we still improve?
What we see going well already is the visibility of confidential advisers and of the topic of social safety itself. Within our association, we actively try to promote our confidential advisers, for example by putting up posters and by giving ourselves a prominent place on information channels. We see the same at Faculty of Science, where we increasingly come across slides, posters and short texts about social safety and confidential advisers. That visibility can really help; it might just make you more likely to approach a confidential advisers if something happens to you.
More information at Confidential advisors at via