Safety, Privacy & Creative Guidelines

A trauma‑aware foundation for the Blue Borage Conversation Café and the Creative Arc on sibling sexual trauma and abuse.

Why These Guidelines Exist

Blue Borage creates structured, trauma‑aware spaces for conversation, learning, and reflection. These guidelines protect presenters, attendees, and the integrity of the movement, while respecting each storyteller’s voice and lived experience. They are not rules designed to restrict expression. They are boundaries designed to protect dignity, privacy, and emotional safety.

1. Presenter Autonomy & Voice

Presenters are welcome to use the language that feels true to their story. This includes naming the harm (eg. rape) and describing their experience in their own words. We honour the reality that sibling sexual trauma and abuse is often silenced, minimised, or misunderstood. Presenters may speak plainly, poetically, academically, or reflectively — in whatever way aligns with their vantage point.

You may:

  • Use the words that feel authentic to your experience
  • Name the harm
  • Include “little‑me” photos of yourself as a child
  • Use metaphor, imagery, and creative expression
  • Share from your vantage point (survivor, parent, ally, practitioner, researcher, educator, advocate)

You do not need to:

  • appear on camera
  • disclose details you are not ready to share
  • perform or speak live
  • use any particular terminology

Your voice is your own.

2. Safety & Privacy Boundaries

To protect everyone involved — including presenters, attendees, and Blue Borage — we ask presenters to follow these boundaries:

Protecting Minors

  • No identifying minors, except for childhood photos of yourself (“little‑me” photos).
  • Childhood photos must not identify the person who harmed you.

Protecting Against Defamation

  • Do not identify or name the person who harmed you, unless they were publicly convicted and legally named.
  • Do not include images that could reasonably identify the person who harmed you.

Protecting Attendees

  • No graphic detail of the harm.
  • No sensationalism or shock‑based storytelling.
  • No reenactments or staged depictions.

Protecting Creative Integrity

  • Use images you own or have permission to use.
  • No copyrighted music.
  • No third‑party photos without permission.

These boundaries ensure that presenters can speak truthfully and creatively, while protecting privacy, legal safety, and the emotional wellbeing of the audience.

3. Presentation Visibility Options

Presenters choose how their presentation is shared after the event. You may change your visibility choice at any time.

Visibility options:

  • Public — available on the Blue Borage website and YouTube
  • Gallery‑only — available in a password‑protected gallery
  • Event‑only — shown live during the event, not shared afterwards
  • Private archive — stored securely, not shared publicly or privately

Not all presentations will be available after the event. Replay access includes only the presentations that presenters have chosen to share.

4. Recording & Replay Policy

What is recorded

  • The presentation segment (your MP4 or live narration)
  • The conversation segment, recorded only by the organiser

What is shared

  • Any presentations the presenters have chosen to make available
  • A de‑identified written recap of the conversation
  • Insights from the post‑event survey

What is never shared

  • The conversation recording
  • Participant names, faces, or identifying details
  • Any part of the event that could compromise privacy or safety

Why the conversation is recorded

The conversation segment is recorded only for internal safety, quality review, and accurate recap writing. It is never shared publicly or privately. This allows attendees to speak freely, knowing their words will not be distributed.

All presenters must complete the Consent & Usage Agreement before submitting their final MP4.

This agreement covers:

  • your visibility choice
  • your consent to the trauma‑aware guidelines
  • your consent to internal recording of the conversation
  • your consent to Blue Borage hosting your presentation in the visibility mode you choose
  • your agreement not to identify perpetrators
  • your agreement to use images you own or have permission for
  • your agreement to avoid graphic detail and sensationalism
  • your agreement to protect minors
  • your agreement to allow Blue Borage to store your MP4 securely

Link: Consent & Usage Agreement Form (Insert link once Char builds the form.)

6. Presenter Pack

The Presenter Pack contains everything you need to prepare your short visual presentation:

  • templates (PowerPoint + Canva)
  • recording instructions
  • visibility options
  • trauma‑aware creative guidelines
  • technical requirements
  • submission deadlines
  • support contacts

Link: Download the Presenter Pack (Insert link once uploaded.)

7. Contact

For questions, support, or clarification:

Susan Dunlop Founder, Blue Borage Email: connect@blueborage.com.au

You will not be left to figure anything out alone.

A note on the word “healing”
We use the word “healing” as a broad, accessible way to describe the long arc of change after sibling sexual trauma and abuse. We recognise that not everyone relates to this word. For some, the experience feels more like recovery, growth, integration, meaning‑making, or simply finding strategies to manage the PTS, and other ways to live with what happened. You are welcome to use the language that feels right for you. There is no expectation, no timeline, and no single correct way to describe your experience.

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