It’s [Not] Just a Joke: Talking About Safety in Team Environments

On March 5, an interactive lecture titled “It’s [Not] Just a Joke: Talking About Safety in Team Environments” took place at the Lviv Culture Hub. The event was organized ahead of International Women’s Rights Day to draw attention to the importance of equality, respect, and safety in the workplace.

The lecture was delivered by Svitlana Mykhailyshyn, a lawyer, Program Manager at the educational center “JurFem: Education”, and a trainer of educational programs on response to and prevention of gender-based violence. During the meeting, participants had the opportunity to engage in discussion, share their experiences, and examine common situations that may arise in workplace environments.

The conversation focused on organizational culture and its influence on team dynamics. The speaker explained how formal rules and informal norms are formed within teams, why it is important to talk about personal boundaries and respect, and how even seemingly harmless “jokes” or everyday comments can create unsafe or discriminatory environments.

In the second part of the event, Anastasiia Slobodianyk and theatre director Olha Puzhakovska spoke about the development and implementation of a special policy for preventing and addressing sexual harassment. The initiative emerged in response to several high-profile cases in the theatre community.

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The event was organized by the Lviv Culture Hub in partnership with the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association JurFem.

📷: UNESCO / Bohdan Yemets

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