Bystander Intervention Training.
Have you ever witnessed public harassment and wished you had done something? Verbal harassment is the most common form of public harassment, and many people feel caught off-guard or unsure of how to intervene. People who are trained to identify and respond to public harassment are more likely to react in ways that provide support and de-escalate the situation.
The Activist Lab teamed up with Hollaback! to design workshops for the School of Public Health to teach faculty, staff, and students techniques for responding to public harassment.
Beginning in fall 2018, a session of the Bystander Intervention Training is included in the Leadership and Management SPH core course. This 90-minute workshop is designed to teach people the skills to safely intervene when witnessing public harassment.
Upon request, outside organizations can arrange for trainings in community locations.
Fall 2018 Evaluation Report
Frequently Asked Questions
Participants will learn:
- How to assess the situation to determine an appropriate way to intervene.
- How cultural and systemic biases operate to enable different forms of discrimination
- How each person’s identity may cross many different social and cultural boundaries
- How harassers use stereotypes about identity to project power in the public space
- How to support the victim of harassment during and after the event
- Reasons why people may not intervene in public harassment
- How to apply one of five intervention strategies, depending on the circumstances (Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay, Document)
- How to take care of yourself after intervening (Decompress)
- Practice techniques with multi-media case studies
Who will do the training?
Public health professionals from the Boston University School of Public Health will lead the training sessions. Each professional has been trained in the Hollaback! intervention techniques.
Meet the trainers
How long will the training last?
The training is designed to last 90 minutes, although it can be adjusted to accommodate a 60 minutes session if required.
How much does the training cost?
We ask that each participant make a donation to Hollaback!, which is a 501(c)3 charity, in an amount that they can afford and that reflects the value they place in continuing Hollaback!’s vision to create a world where all people have the freedom to move through public space, participate in civic life, and reach their full potential. Recommended minimum donation $5.00 (checks payable to “Hollaback!”)
How many participants can attend a training?
We structure the training to be interactive. For groups of 20-25, we can work in a lecture format effectively. For larger groups, we bring more facilitators and use a group-discussion format. Our maximum group size is 70-80 participants.
Schedule a Training Session
BU-affiliated departments/groups:
Please fill out this request form.
Community groups outside of Boston University:
Please fill out this request form.