Red Tent provides safe place for women

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This article was published 10/07/2011 (5230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IN the heart of a beloved party oasis, a group of volunteers is working to share a serious message.

For the first time this year, the Red Tent has risen in the middle of the Winnipeg Folk Festival campground. The tent’s goal: to open a “safe space” for women and transgender-identified people to come for everything from healthy body-image workshops to sexual assault crisis counselling.

“A lot of us thought it was really important to be here,” said Erin Vosters, curled up Saturday evening on the tent’s cosy red rug.

Vosters and a circle of friends came up with the idea for the Red Tent only weeks ago. They were thrilled when Folk Fest staff signed off on the project, and even donated two sturdy tents to the cause.

“We are proud to have support services for women here at the festival,” said Folk Fest spokeswoman Margaret Koshinsky. “It is the responsible thing to do.”

One tent is a place to talk and laugh, decked out with body-positive posters and a box of “complimentary compliment” ribbons encouraging self-esteem. The other tent is staffed by eight counsellors from Klinic’s sexual assault crisis program.

After all, organizers know, sexual assault can happen anywhere — including a busy and convivial campground. And for some survivors of past assaults, the campground experience alone can push painful thoughts to the surface.

“(The campground) is just a really intense place to be,” Vosters said. “Your body gets tired, your mind gets tired and stressed. It’s good to have a safe place to come.”

But the tent’s message goes well beyond sexual assault awareness and fans out into the campground’s vibrant life. All day, volunteers hand out free condoms, cloth menstrual pads and healthy snacks. Each morning, the tent hosts discussions with campers on topics such as healthy body-image and natural birth experiences.

Organizers know it will take a few years for their presence to become deeply connected to the campground. But the curiosity from passing campers suggests the project is well on its way.

“We’re starting that conversation here,” Vosters said.

“We want to make this a part of their experience, especially for the younger women — this isn’t a super-serious thing only. This is a space to come and connect with other women.”

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca