Social safety refers to the environment that supports a person’s mental health and well-being, including factors like volunteer workload, competition stress and interpersonal relationships. A key instrument to protect social safety is our House Rules that includes protocols against bullying and (sexual) harassment. This is reviewed by the Dutch Institute for Martial arts (Nederlands Instituut voor Vechtsport en Maatschappij, NIVM) for the label Safe & Responsible Martial arts (Veilig & Verantwoord Vechtsporten).
However, the most crucial protection is not regulations: it is culture. By treating each other with understanding, empathy and respect, we can ensure that the personal challenges we face, whether in the sport or out of it, are not faced alone.
Psychological safety specifically focuses on the belief that people can express ideas and concerns without fear of negative consequences, fostering open communication and risk-taking. It helps students learn from mistakes, grow in self-confidence and contribute creatively to the learning proces. This informs many of our internal policies, such as not having any kind of unnecessary grading hierarchy that may negatively impact psychological safety.
We also have students from a wide variety of religions, ethnicities, generations and martial traditions; historical discussion of what some may consider ‘risky’ topics is part of a necessary historical dialogue to understand the art. Such discussions are only possible in a respectful manner when accountability is paired with safety.
Mental health and a safe feeling is crucial to the learning process. Students cannot learn when gripped by fear. Teachers cannot instruct when not respected. Volunteers cannot organize when overworked. Many students even start H.E.M.A. with the goal of improving their mental health, which implies that they may already be in a vulnerable position when starting. That’s OK, and at Steelbound personal growth is taken into account.
