It’s On Us. All of us. To prevent sexual assault. To be part of the solution.
What Is Bystander Intervention?
Anyone who sees or hears about harmful behavior, or a high-risk behavior is a bystander.
Bystanders are faced with a choice:
"Do I get involved?” or “Do I mind my own business?"
Bystander Intervention is making an active choice to interrupt the harmful or high-risk behavior. It’s on us. All of us. To interrupt harm. To make St. John’s a safer place.
What Are Harmful or High-Risk Behaviors?
Harmful or high-risk behaviors are any behavior that could lead to, or contribute to, sexual assault, stalking, or dating violence.
A situation could be concerning if someone:
- Pressures another person to drink alcohol or use other drugs
- Touches someone without consent
- Controls how someone dresses, spends their time or money, or who they hang out with
- Ignores another person’s request to stop sexual activity
- Tracks or monitors where someone is without their knowledge
- Makes unwanted contact or makes someone feel unsafe
Learn to Be an Active Bystander
When you witness harmful behavior, you have options for how to intervene.
You can be Direct, Delegate, or Distract!
- Direct: Ask, “Are you ok?” Say, “Let’s get you home.” Tell someone, “Knock it off, leave them alone.”
- Delegate: Ask others for help. Find their friends, touch a blue light on campus to contact Public Safety, call an RA
- Distract: De-escalate the situation with a distraction. Spill a drink. Say, “I’ve been looking for you, it’s time to go!” Ask them to come outside with you.
Have you ever witnessed something you knew wasn’t right? Have you considered getting involved but something stopped you? Have you wanted to help but not known what to do?
By registering for Bystander Intervention Leadership Training (BILT), you will be able to:
- Recognize high-risk and harmful behaviors
- Identify your barriers that stop you from intervening
- Learn tools to safely intervene and interrupt harm
Interested in having SOAR train your team, sorority, fraternity, or student organization? Submit a request for a SOAR BILT training today!