Genkies Care
A festival safety and care campaign for the city of Genk: what do festival-goers already do for each other, and how can a city campaign move from prohibition to peer care?
- Role
- Designer and researcher, two-person team with Gorjan Radeski
- Partners
- Stad Genk (Dienst Publieke Ruimte) and Genk on Stage festival; LUCA School of Arts, C-Mine
- Methods
- Bilingual online survey (n = 14, 16 October to 26 November 2025); the Safety Locker, an anonymous card-based probe placed in the LUCA campus library; expert interview with Pauline Draps, Harm Reduction Manager, Brussels by Night (27 November 2025); exhibition evaluation
- When
- September to December 2025
what was done
The research surfaced five themes: physical infrastructure as the foundation of safety; crowd dynamics and accessibility; visible care infrastructure and approachability; inclusivity and freedom from harassment; clear wayfinding and multilingual communication. Prohibitive safety messaging was analysed and a participant-informed alternative proposed, reframing safety as shared peer care.
what came out
Genkies Care, a festival safety and care campaign, sub-brand and visual identity for Stad Genk and Genk on Stage, with touchpoints before, during and after the festival: wayfinding signage, a "Caring Genkie" pledge board, pink care vests, "watch your frites, watch your friends" posters, a public wall intervention and a mobile app concept. Exhibited at C-Mine, Genk, December 2025; feedback from festival-goers and youth audiences led to revisions in tone, representation and practical tools. Report delivered 29 December 2025 with recommendations for municipal adoption.
