3:17
Call It Out! Be an Active Bystander
UEA Wellbeing
Overview
This video explains the concept of active bystandership as a tool to combat discrimination and harassment within communities, particularly at universities. It highlights that while witnessing problematic behavior is common, intervening can be challenging due to uncertainty or fear. The video introduces the "5 D's" (Distract, Delegate, Delay, Direct, Document) as practical strategies to empower individuals to act safely and effectively when they encounter unacceptable situations, emphasizing collective responsibility for creating a safer environment for everyone.
How was this?
Save this permanently with flashcards, quizzes, and AI chat
Chapters
- Everyone deserves to feel safe and included in their community.
- Discrimination and harassment are negative experiences that can make individuals feel targeted and unsafe.
- Being an active bystander means taking action against problematic behavior to transform the community.
- Individual actions are crucial in addressing unacceptable behavior.
Understanding the prevalence and impact of harassment underscores why intervention is necessary and why your role as a bystander is important for fostering a more inclusive environment.
Experiencing discrimination or harassment at university, feeling targeted and unsafe.
- Unacceptable behaviors can include sexual harassment, unwanted advances, homophobic jokes, racist comments, or harassment on public transport.
- It can sometimes be difficult to identify these behaviors when they occur.
- Learning from others' lived experiences can improve understanding and support for those affected.
Developing the ability to recognize various forms of problematic behavior is the first step towards knowing when and how to intervene effectively.
A racist comment or a homophobic joke being made.
- Common barriers to intervening include uncertainty about whose responsibility it is to act, the belief that someone else will help, or fear of misinterpreting the situation.
- There can be hesitation when the negative behavior comes from friends.
- Taking collective responsibility is essential for ensuring everyone's safety.
Acknowledging and understanding these common hesitations helps normalize the difficulty of intervention and prepares you to overcome them with strategies.
Hesitating to intervene when a friend makes an inappropriate joke because it feels awkward or scary.
- The '5 D's' provide a framework for confident intervention: Distract, Delegate, Delay, Direct, and Document.
- Distract: Interrupt the incident by engaging with the person being targeted.
- Delegate: Find someone else, like an authority figure, to help.
- Delay: Check in with the targeted person afterward to offer support.
- Direct: Safely confront the perpetrator about their behavior and support the targeted person.
- Document: Record the incident from a safe distance if someone else is already helping.
These practical strategies offer concrete actions you can take, reducing the feeling of helplessness and increasing your confidence to intervene safely and effectively.
If someone is being harassed, you could 'Distract' by asking the targeted person for the time, thereby interrupting the interaction with the harasser.
- Workshops like the University of East Anglia's Active Bystander workshop can teach you how to recognize behaviors and intervene.
- Understanding the 5 D's empowers you to act.
- Every individual has the power to make a difference by 'calling out' unacceptable behavior.
This reinforces that learning and practicing bystander intervention skills is achievable and that collective action is key to creating positive community change.
Participating in an active bystander workshop to learn specific techniques for intervention.
Key takeaways
- Creating safe and welcoming communities requires active participation from everyone.
- Problematic behaviors like harassment and discrimination can manifest in many forms and are not always easy to spot.
- Fear, uncertainty, and social awkwardness are common reasons people hesitate to intervene, but collective responsibility can overcome these barriers.
- The '5 D's' (Distract, Delegate, Delay, Direct, Document) offer practical, actionable strategies for intervening in difficult situations.
- Direct intervention should only be used if it is safe for everyone involved.
- Documenting an incident requires consent before sharing any recorded material.
- Learning and practicing active bystander skills empowers individuals to make a positive impact.
Key terms
Active BystanderDiscriminationHarassmentProblematic BehaviorIntervention5 D'sDistractDelegateDelayDirectDocument
Test your understanding
- What are the potential negative experiences individuals might face in a community that necessitate active bystandership?
- Why might someone hesitate to intervene when witnessing problematic behavior, even if they recognize it?
- How can the 'Distract' and 'Delegate' strategies be used to intervene in a situation of harassment?
- What are the ethical considerations when choosing to 'Document' an incident?
- Why is taking collective responsibility important for fostering a safe community?