A diverse group of drag performers onstage during an event, clapping and engaging with the audience, under bright stage lights. Some performers are sitting while others stand, all in elaborate costumes and makeup.

Inclusion & Diversity: For a Change Festival Case Study (DE)

A safer space for the queer community

The non-profit association For a Change was founded in 2023 to offer young people a platform for youth cultures, following the tough pandemic restrictions. With the festival of the same name, the association aims to provide a safe space in particular for queer young people, because in rural Lower Bavaria these are urgently needed. Besides queer people, the festival appeals to FLINTA*, BIPoC and people with disabilities as well. “We see our festival as an opportunity to draw a utopia of society. The aim is to create a future-oriented and diverse cultural space,” says Andreas Olschar from the For a Change organizing team.

“Unfortunately, queer hostility is still very widespread, especially in rural areas in Bavaria,” Andreas continues. “A conservative idea of sexuality and gender conveys to young people in particular that being queer means that they are different and often worth less. In this environment, it is almost impossible to experiment and find your true self. And the people who have dared to show their identity have to fight discrimination daily. With our festival, we want to create a place where queer young people not only feel comfortable, but where they can collect new impulses and be strengthened in their identity and, in the best case, even connect with the local queer community.”

Awareness concept & workshop program

To make the festival a safer space, the association has created an extensive and professionally-supported awareness concept. In addition to live music, there is a workshop program that creates space for encounters and further education, giving visitors new inputs and ideas. Workshop topics in 2023 included identity, intersectionality and the revolution in Iran. Some workshops were held in plain-language. The association received support from local initiatives such as Magazin of Color, Seebrücke Passau, LGBTQ+ Stammtisch Passau, Pride Passau and Fridays for Future Passau in the creation and implementation of the workshop program.

Two individuals wearing pink 'Awareness Team' vests at an outdoor concert event, facing away from the camera and embracing each other.
© Laura Keimel / For a Change Festival

Gender balance & inclusion 

The festival’s core target group of 15 to 21-year-olds is very young, but the organisers are aware of their responsibility, states Andreas. “We want to create role models through representation. As organisers, we believe it is our duty to take responsibility for the content and people on our stages. That’s why we paid attention to diversity by focusing on FLINTA*, BIPoC and queer individuals when booking,” Andreas said. Andreas estimated that more than half of the acts publicly address their queer lives and that FLINTA* individuals were involved in more than two thirds of the program.

In addition, the association developed an inclusion concept for the festival with the local division of Lebenshilfe (self-help association for people with intellectual disabilities), which was evaluated together with young people with disabilities. The association received funding from Aktion Mensch (social lottery for promoting humanity and inclusion) for the concept’s measures, such as wheelchair platforms and free tickets for accompanying persons. Additionally, the awareness team was trained on how to treat people with disabilities.

People at an outdoor fair riding a small roller coaster designed for wheelchair users, showing expressions of joy and excitement.
© Systm / For a Change Festival

The association gave away around 40 free tickets to people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, without a proof of social indigence needed. Andreas assumed that the system was probably at least partly abused. “But we are still convinced that requiring no proof is the best solution, as no one is put in a situation where they have to justify themselves.”

The association wants to expand all of this further in 2024. First, however, a new event site is needed, as the city of Passau will not be offering the Domplatz again, according to Andreas.