MEST-UP

What is MEST-UP?

  • Mediation
  • Education
  • Support
  • Team
  • Umbrella
  • Project

MEST-UP seeks to educate people on various issues, as well as provide emotional support and conflict resolution at events. Run by an impartial team of trained DFs, the overall aim is to make sure everyone can feel comfortable and enjoy themselves at events. We are essentially a team of people who are here to support you and those around you on DF events. We also run workshops about many different issues including but no limited to: sex and relationships, mental health, and self care. It should be made clear that we can only provide support to a certain extent but we will always do our best to help you or direct you to someone who can.

MEST-UP rep on shift poses with their back to the camera.

How do you approach a MEST-UP rep?

Ask someone in a pink high vis if you can have a chat to them

What happens when you speak to an on-shift MEST-UP rep?

Once you have had a chat with a MEST-UP rep, nothing else will happen unless we believe that you are a risk to yourself or others. In this case the issue may be passed on to another MEST-UP rep or Safeguarding. However if this is not the case, the chat may also be brought up in debrief. For example, if you have mentioned to a rep that you’re feeling down, maybe homesick or lonely, this rep may ask other MEST-UP reps to keep an eye out for you where possible, but if you would rather this did not happen you can ask that it is not brought up in debrief and this is usually absolutely fine. Equally if you don’t mind the subject being brought up in debrief but would rather a particular person left debrief when it was discussed you can absolutely ask that of the MEST-UP rep and they will make sure that that person isn’t present.

What do we do?

Safe Space

We have a safe space on each event where you can go if you’re feeling low, stressed or just need some quiet time. It usually has colouring books, puzzles, blankets and biscuits!

Peer Support

Along with first aiders, Committee and co-ordinators, we always have two people on shift at an event at any time. These people are there to support you if you have a situation in which you would like to be mediated, or you would like to talk through some issues with them, or anything you would like to talk about. Please feel free to talk to us even if you don’t know us very well, it’s what we’re here for!

Activities

We run various activities on events:

  • Workshops
  • Caucuses (a meeting of people from a specific group to discuss their experience in life, on an event or problems they have faced)
  • Fishbowls (a Caucus that can be listened into but not contributed to by an additional audience)
  • Cafes (often a discussion on a particular topic in which both people who the topic applies to and those who it doesn’t can contribute)