The handling of individual cases at Fastaval
Have you been exposed to an unpleasant experience or felt unsafe at Fastaval?
– This is what you can do and how we handle it!
Fastaval should be a safe and inclusive place for everyone.
Are you uncomfortable participating at Fastaval, have had an unpleasant experience with another person at Fastaval (or in relation to Fastaval) or have you experienced a situation that goes against our code of conduct - then we encourage you to get in touch.
You can always contact the Fastaval organisation for help and support. We take all enquiries seriously and treat them with confidentiality and respect. If it's difficult for you to do alone, you are welcome to get someone else to make the contact. In that case, we need to see a power of attorney from you so we are sure you want the case reported. A power of attorney can be a text message or an email where you tell us that you agree to the other person reporting your case.
It is Alea's board that decides whether your case belongs at Fastaval, whether it is a real criminal case, or whether the case is about other parts of the role-playing and board game community that do not affect Fastaval. We can only handle cases related to Fastaval, but we are happy to help you if you don't know where else you can get help.
Fastaval is a private event; all organizers in Fastaval and Alea are unpaid volunteers. According to Danish law, this means that we have a duty to notify and inform the authorities about any illegal activities. It also means that we have every right to assess who is welcome to attend Fastaval!
On this page, you can read more about how Fastaval handles individual cases and where to contact us.
WHO TO CONTACT
First and foremost, you can always write to Fastaval’s special SAFEMAIL
When Fastaval is ongoing during Easter, please contact The Safety Hosts on +45 93 90 35 67.
You can also write directly to Alea’s board at alea@fastaval.dk.
If you contact us on Fastaval’s safemail, your message will be processed by different parts of the Fastaval organization, depending on which time of year you write us. In this way, we ensure that you are seen and heard as quickly as possible.
- If we receive your inquiry while planning Fastaval September to Easter): The Main Organizers will handle your case.
- If we receive your inquiry during Fastaval (Easter)The Safety Host will handle your case – but can refer you to The Main Organizers if you want it.
- If we receive your inquiry in the time after Fastaval and up until next year’s planning begins (from Easter to around September): Alea’s board will handle your case.
Alea is ’the end station’
If your case cannot be resolved immediately by Fastaval’s Main Organizers group, or your case has been going on for more than a year, it will automatically be transferred to Alea’s Board. This is done to ensure that you don’t have to start over with a new Main Organizer group. Alea’s board has been elected for several years, and there will always be at least one board member who knows you and the details of your case.
You can always choose Alea
You can at any time, also during Fastaval, choose that only Alea will process your case. Use the safemail or write directly to Alea’s board here
HOW YOUR INQUIRY IS PROCESSED BY ALEA
Plan of action
When you write to Alea's board (or your case is passed on from Fastaval's main organiser group to Alea's board), you will receive a date when your case will be considered. This will happen at the next board meeting at the latest. Aela's board meets every month, but if the case is urgent, we meet extraordinarily. After the meeting, you'll receive an action plan so you know what's going to happen.
Confidentiality
Alea's board of directors consists of volunteers and is therefore not subject to confidentiality in a legal sense. However, they always work on the principle that ALL individual cases and conflicts are treated confidentially.
This means that we do not tell outsiders who has contacted us. In case of allegations against named individuals, we will generally hear both parties and, if necessary, any witnesses in the case. This step is necessary for us to make a decision on a proper basis.
Alea’s board will under no circumstances comment on personal matters in public, but we maintain the right to notify Fastaval’s General about ongoing cases.
The principle of confidentiality also means that you cannot expect special insight into the handling/outcome of a case - even if it is a third party report.
NB: In cases of very serious offenses and behavior that put other people in physical danger, we will have to involve the Danish authorities
Risk assessment
When the board processes a personal case, we make a risk assessment of the person you have named in your inquiry. We assess whether it is likely that the person will repeat his unwanted action at Fastaval. Among other things, we look at:
- If there is an ongoing criminal case, or is there a previous conviction?
- If the reported person has a history of other reports and bad behavior?
- The severity of what you have experienced or what you are afraid might happen.
- Any wish you might have to enter into a dialogue in order to find a solution (such as participating in conflict mediation, see below)
We see it as aggravating circumstances when an organizer has crossed the line or if a minor is involved.
Our decision
Once a decision has been made in your case, you will receive a written notice from Alea about our decision.
Conflict mediation
Depending on the seriousness of the case, Alea’s board will offer conflict mediation between parties, to try and find a solution where both parties can participate at Fastaval safely. Both you and the other party have the right to an assistant or a deputy.
Conflict mediation can take place both physically or digitally, depending on your wishes.
If Alea’s board assesses that a person is exhibiting behavior, making them unwanted at Fastaval, you will both be notified. A consequence might be, that the person is banned for a number of years, or that the person is only welcome at Fastaval under special circumstances. For example, it is conceivable that the person in question may participate, but may not drink alcohol. Or that the person may participate, but can not have an organizing post or is banned from certain areas of the convention.
Alea’s decision to ban or limit participation in Fastaval, as a result of a personal case, is upheld for a minimum of three years. Afterward, the Board is obligated to re-discuss the matter and make a new risk assessment. You will of course be contacted, to know the outcome of this decision.
Failure to comply with participation under special circumstances will result in a ban from Fastaval for three years or more.
How long can we archive you case?
Alea complies with Danish law and the GDPR rules. Therefore, once your case is closed, it will be deleted from Alea’s archive.
ONLINE DEBATES
From time to time, we see cases on Facebook or other social media that lead to a passionate discussion. As a rule, you cannot expect Alea or the main organisers to follow or be obliged to take a public stand in these situations. This is mainly because some of these discussions end up in personal cases that need to be handled by Alea. The handling of these cases is confidential, and it is important that Alea is objective. It is therefore inappropriate if Alea is already part of the public debate.
