CREATING NOURISHING CULTURE

SoulPlay creates environments that encourage people to come together, expand and grow, and experience bliss. In order to expand and grow, people need to get out of their comfort zone and take risks. We believe, if we are inviting our participants to take risks we must prioritize creating a safer space for everyone.

Our Philosophy

We do this through our three pillars of safer space: Presence, Choice, and Support.

Presence means that people are aware of their actions and the impact they have on others. This is why we encourage people to refrain from using any mind-altering substances. We also encourage people to continously reflect on their actions, thus creating more awareness and intentionality. When all people are really present, it allows people to explore their edge in a safe and constructive way.

Choice is the basis of consensual interactions. We believe that expanding your comfort zone and taking risks should be your choice and we provide reminders and education throughout our events.

Support is provided through our SoulSupport team on-site at every major event. SoulSupport are peer counselors ready to offer a listening ear, a nurturing hug, or intervene if necessary.

Incident Reporting form

Have anything to Report? Click Here

The SoulPlay Guide to Playful Times

How to Cultivate a Nourishing Culture

GET CURIOUS
& CLEAR

Asking for a hug before hugging someone is the SoulPlay way. Saying, "I like you and I'd like to get to know you" is hot. Finding out what level of connection a person is up for BEFORE engaging is awesome.

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE

Just because someone says yes once doesn’t mean they’ll say it again. Changing one’s mind in the middle is totally valid. Saying “Thank you for taking care of yourself” when they say “no” will blow them away.

SLOW
DOWN

Slowing down supports deep listening. Listen with your entire body for the “no”, the “maybe”, the “I’m not sure” inside yourself and the other person. It is much easier to stop when going slow and will help everyone to know when you’ve hit a boundary and avoid regrets.

OOOPS... I OVERSTEPPED A BOUNDARY

Being a caring person is less about avoiding mistakes and more about how you clean them up after they happen. Be ready to listen and take feedback when someone tells you things went too far.

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS

Just because one thing can’t happen doesn’t mean something else is out. Hitting a bump is a call for creativity. “I’m not up for that, but I’d be into…” is skillful negotiating. Remember, a clear no helps everyone move on to other possibilities.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

Being truthful about your relationship status, your availability, and your expectations is important. If your connection gets sexual, discussing your habits and health risks are the foundation of being a SoulPlay rockstar.

CHECK-IN
AT THE END

Having a clear closing is key to keeping your SoulPlay sweeties feeling cared for and respected. Honor them to the end and thank them for sharing themselves with you.

SOULSUPPORT
CAN HELP

See the SoulSupport team if you need emotional support, have questions, want to learn how to be smooth at asking for what you want. We’re here for you if you’ve had a fight, something felt off, or if you have questions about how to handle and issue.

SEE SOMETHING THAT NEEDS ATTENTION?

If you see or experience behavior that is inappropriate or out of line at SoulPlay events, please tell the SoulSupport Team or SoulStaff. We like to catch consent breaks early and often so we can prevent further issues.  (Examples: lack of sobriety, you feel unsafe, you’ve said STOP more than once.)

LISTEN FOR THE “OH YES”!

Yes means yes, everything else means no or time to clarify. Not doing anything until you hear, see, and feel a “YES!” is how we do it at SoulPlay.

Our Approach

Education

We infuse our entire event with consent education. From the moment you enter to the times when you attend workshops you will hear about our consent culture again and again. Our entire event is an education in consent.

Support

Just because you’re at a festival doesn’t mean you’re having fun. Sometimes hard things come up and we’re here for you. The SoulSupport Team is there for our participants to process, hug, show around.

Policy

Our policies are the backbone of our festival. When things go wrong these are what we fall back on. Our values of transformative justice, transparency, and accountability.
We also make it easy for those harmed to report to the producers through the incident reporting form. The person reporting is in charge of what happens whenever a report is filed. No incident is too small to report.

Community GuideLines

Our Rules of Engagement

Intervention
GuideLines

How We Handle Issues

Soulful guide to Playful times

Our Consent Etiquette

Incident Reporting

At Soul Play we take safety seriously and we know not all issues can or should be dealt with in the moment. That’s why we have the Incident Report. Please use this form to report any small or large issue.

Have anything to Report?
Incident Reporting form

Resources

SoulPlay offers emotional support teams during every festival. The emotional support team is there to support your experience as we understand the workshops and interpersonal experiences can bring up difficult feelings. Please feel free to use the SoulSupport services while at our events.

Recommended Professional Resources (Coaches, Therapists, Mediators)Recommended articles on Consent and CommunicationArticle on Triggers at events - by Misha Bonaventura