Green Dot Bystander Intervention is a bystander education approach that aims to prevent violence with the help of bystanders. It is built on the premise that violence can be measurably and systematically reduced within a community. Bystander intervention as a way of

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

prevention programs are becoming popular within society. Its mission is to reduce power-based violence by being a proactive bystander and a reactive bystander."Title IX." ''End Rape On Campus''. End Rape On Campus. Web. http://endrapeoncampus.org/title-ix/"The Green Dot Etc. Overview." ''Green Dot Etcetera''. Green Dot Etcetera Inc, 2010. Web. https://www.livethegreendot.com/

History

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

of the 1972 Education Amendment is a tool meant to combat campus violence. The law requires colleges and universities to fight

gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification. Types of gender-related violence include: * Violence against women (sometimes referred to simply a ...

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...

, and respond to the needs of survivors promoting equal educational access."Title IX in Detail." ''Know Your IX: Empowering Students to Stop Sexual Violence.'' http://knowyourix.org/title-ix/title-ix-in-detail/"Sexual Harassment & Assault." ''National Women's Law Center''. National Women's Law Center, 2015. Web. http://www.nwlc.org/our-issues/education-%2526-title-ix/sexual-harassment-%2526-assault The Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program was founded in 2006 by Dr. Dorothy Edwards. The program trains people about

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

and

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

on college campuses, primary and secondary schools, and communities. It develops and offers training for sexual assault and domestic violence. The method teaches students to intervene by using the 3 D's: Direct, Delegating the responsibility to others, and creating a Distraction to defuse a potentially dangerous situation. As described by Green Dot an example of this is in a situation at a party, intervening could mean that instead of calling out an inebriated student, an individual can create a distraction by "accidentally" spilling their drink on a potential aggressor. Prior to creating the program, Edwards worked as the University of Kentucky's Violence Intervention and Prevention Director where she discovered that individuals were not sure how to respond when witnessing a potential

. In her first year of running the program she trained 10 individuals, but by the time she left the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

she was training 3,500 students and volunteers. The initiative led by Dr. Edwards was supported by a new focus on bystanders in The White House. Green Dot, Bringing in the Bystander, and Coaching Boys Into Men are preventative bystander programs that have begun to make cultural changes.

Sexual assault in education

Sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

in schools and on campuses is a pressing civil rights issue. According to the National Women's Law Center students who suffer from

and

are deprived the liberty of equal education. A majority of sexual assaults involving college students also involve drugs and alcohol. A female or male who is incapacitated due to drugs and alcohol is legally incapable of giving consent and someone who has sex with an incapacitated person can be prosecuted for

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

Purpose

The goal of Green Dot is to implement a

bystander intervention Bystander intervention is a type of training used in post-secondary education institutions to prevent sexual assault or rape, binge drinking and harassment and unwanted comments of racist, homophobic, or transphobic nature. A bystander is a pers ...

strategy that prevents and reduces power-based personal violence.Cherkis, Jason, and Ryan Grim. "Here's How You Can Help Stop A Sexual Assault Before It Happens." ''The Huffington Post'' 9 July 2015, Politics sec. Web. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/08/bystander-intervention_n_7758118.htmlBoyington, Briana. "What Families Should Know About Bystander Intervention." ''U.S. News'' 27 Oct. 2014, Colleges sec. Web. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/10/27/what-families-should-know-about-bystander-intervention Power-based violence includes:

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

dating violence Dating abuse or dating violence is the perpetration or threat of an act of violence by at least one member of an unmarried couple on the other member in the context of dating or courtship. It also arises when one partner tries to maintain powe ...

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The ter ...

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

elder abuse Elder abuse (also called "elder mistreatment", "senior abuse", "abuse in later life", "abuse of older adults", "abuse of older women", and "abuse of older men") is "a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any rela ...

, and

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...

. The curriculum is created from the concepts and lessons learned through research and theory across disciplines including:

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often consi ...

, diffusion of innovation,

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, bystander dynamics, perpetration, and marketing/advertising. A Green Dot is a behavior, choice, or action that promotes safety for everyone. It communicates intolerance for

, and

."UCI Green Dot." ''University of California''. University of California, 4 Nov. 2015. Web. http://www.studentaffairs.uci.edu/greendot/whatisagreendot.phpCoker, A. L., P. G. Cook-Craig, C. M. Williams, B. S. Fisher, E. R. Clear, L. S. Garcia, and L. M. Hegge. "Evaluation of Green Dot: An Active Bystander Intervention to Reduce Sexual Violence on College Campuses." ''Violence Against Women'' 17.6 (2011): 777-96. Print. The goal is to promote safety on college campuses.

Training

Green Dot develops programs, strategies, curriculum, and training courses designed to address power-based personal violence across environments. Training strategies include: strategic planning, bystander mobilization, communication, and coalition building."Green Dot Faculty & Staff Toolkit." ''University of Portland''. Office on Violence Against Women. Web. http://www.up.edu/showimage/show.aspx?file=21219 The program provides training courses for leadership and professionals that focus on the core areas necessary for successful implementation of the program.Smith, Carol. "A Dangerous Mix: Drinking, Sex, and College Students." ''InvestigateWest''. InvestigateWest, 2010. Web. http://invw.org/2010/02/25/940/"The Green Dot Etc. Training." ''Green Dot Etcetera''. Green Dot Etcetera Inc, 2010. Web. https://www.livethegreendot.com/ The Green Dot bystander program uses four training modules to educate bystanders on their impact. # The first module provides bystanders with an overview of the strategy, where key definitions and strategies are discussed."An Overview of the Green Dot Strategy." ''California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA)''. California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Web. http://www.calcasa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Curriculum-Summary.pdf # The second module reviews the observable behaviors associated with the major forms of power-based violence and educates about how to recognize potential dangerous or harmful situations. # Module three educates bystanders on obstacles within themselves that stop them from intervening. #* There are three major categories of influence it uses: #** The categories are personal, relationship, and general issues, which impact the way in which individuals intervene. Personal characteristics may include being shy, fearful, or uncertain and not wanting to risk embarrassment. Relationship characteristics involve not wanting to upset friends or a party policer. General issues include the belief that someone else will intervene, the risk of embarrassment, or creating a scene. # Module four focuses on building skills and generating confidence in the performance of the program. #* There are two types of Green Dots: proactive and reactive. The goal of proactive Green Dots is to set the two norms that are communicated: violence will not be tolerated and everyone is expected to do his or her part to contribute to fostering a safe community. Reactive Green Dots are done in reaction to seeing concerning behavior or potential dangers, either to stop them from happening or decrease the likelihood they will get worse. The heart of the Green Dot Bystander Intervention program are the 3 D's: direct, distract, and delegate. Direct interaction with the potential perpetrator or victim can be used to address concern. Through Distraction a bystander can create a diversion to diffuse the potentially problematic situation. Lastly, through delegation a bystander can ask for someone else to help intervene in the situation. The 3 D's work in situations of high risk to act as reactive Green Dots. Examples of proactive Green Dots are creating social media campaigns, checking-in with friends, promoting awareness, and hosting green dot sports games. Examples of reactive Green Dots include: ''directly'' confronting a situation, ''distracting'' by changing the conversation and the energy of the interaction or by distracting the individuals, or ''delegating'' by finding someone who will be more successful in fixing the problem (bar tender, other friends, Police officer, etc.)

Case studies

Ann Coker at the University of Kentucky's Center for Research on Violence Against Women (CRVAW) led a study pertaining to the effectiveness at Green Dots' reduction of sexual violence. In the study, CRVAW found a greater than 50% reduction in the self-reported frequency of sexual violence perpetration by students at schools that received Green Dot training.Hautala, Keith. "'Green Dot' Effective at Reducing Sexual Violence." ''University of Kentucky News: UKNOW''. College of Arts and Sciences, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. http://uknow.uky.edu/content/green-dot-effective-reducing-sexual-violence The CRVAW study also found a 40% reduction in self-reported frequency of total violence perpetration including

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

, and

. Ann Coker, and the CRVAW team identify violence prevention as a public health priority. A recent study of 2,504 college undergraduate students between 18 and 24 looked at the impact of bystander intervention on college campuses. The study found that 46% of the students surveyed had heard a Green Dot speech on their college campus. Out of the sample size surveyed, only 14% had received active bystander training in the past two years. Students trained in Green Dot bystander intervention reported engaging in significantly more bystander behaviors and observing more self-reported active bystander behaviors compared to non-trained students. Those receiving bystander intervention training appeared to report more active bystander behaviors than those simply hearing a Green Dot speech, and both intervention groups reported more observed and active bystander behaviors than non-exposed students.Coker, A. L., P. G. Cook-Craig, C. M. Williams, B. S. Fisher, E. R. Clear, L. S. Garcia, and L. M. Hegge. "Evaluation of Green Dot: An Active Bystander Intervention to Reduce Sexual Violence on College Campuses." ''Violence Against Women'' 17.6 (2011): 777-96.

References

{{Reflist Violence Educational programs