SAGA Bergen is a community initiative by SAGA space to develop a safer community in Bergen with Inclusivity and diversity as the fundamentals.

The collective consists of a diverse group of individuals in Bergen and Vestland, where queer, trans people and people with minority backgrounds are all represented. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment for all, and we work on bringing accessibility for minority groups with a focus on the queer and trans community in the form of creative workshops, cultural and music events. 

We believe that Inclusivity and diversity are the keys to building a harmonious society in which everyone is respected and all voices are heard. To be inclusive of everyone, we first need to understand the diversity in the society, to work from the ground up where marginalised groups can be uplifted, in order to achieve equality as the mean.

Diversity means representation from the full spectrum of human demographic differences. This includes, but is not limited to people’s gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, socio-economic status, physical and mental disability. 

A change that we see as vital to move forward as an inclusive community is to create an environment where people can freely exchange ideas and thoughts without any bias or prejudice, so that new connections and creative inputs from everyone in the society are considered. Therefore, we believe that inclusivity is the key to develop as a community where all voices are heard. 

In order to understand what a diverse group of people need from a community we need a forum to discuss openly, in an environment where people can feel free to be themselves. This is a part of where SAGA comes in, as we see a powerful and unique position to create various safer space guidelines and policies for the Bergen communities. 

Through our research in the form of workshops and events in a diverse community, we absorb the knowledge and find ways to translate it into purposeful actions. We collect non-normative experiences in our community, to understand and meet each need with respect. 

This results in broad, thorough and empathetic perspectives which we transcribe the information to develop the potentials of the cultural institutions for our society. 

Our aims are to develop educational tools, inclusive guidelines and policies for below stakeholders in our society,

• Policy makers, businesses, organisations (safety, Inclusivity and diversities guidelines for companies, corporate social responsibilities and policies)

• Artists, musicians, performers and creatives (Inclusivity and diversities guidelines for directors, educators, curators, producers and influencers)

• The public (risk, safety measures and prevention, inclusivity consideration and protection)