Bystander Intervention - Hill SPEAK

Everyone has a duty and responsibility to intervene if they see harm occurring or about to occur. Bystanders are anyone in the community that sees or hears about a behavior that could lead to something harmful. Through their action, bystanders have the ability to prevent harm from happening. All bystanders have a choice to make, to intervene or to move forward without trying to stop the situation.

There are 5 steps to bystander intervention. First, a person must notice the event. Second, they must interpret it as a situation that needs intervention. Third, they must assume responsibility to intervene. Fourth, they must decide how to intervene. And last, they must act. A person may experience barriers at any of these steps that make it so that person does not intervene should they witness an instance of harm.

Bystanders can act to prevent harm in a number of ways. Spring Hill College has adopted the StepUp! program as a way to teach about violence prevention. StepUp! is a prosocial behavior and bystander intervention program that educates bystanders to be proactive in helping others.

StepUp! training provides a framework explaining the bystander effect, reviews relevant research and teaches skills for intervening successfully using the 5 Decision Making Steps, the 5 Ds and the S.E.E.K Model (Safe; Early; Effective; Kind). Teaching people about the barriers to helping as well as strategies, skills and the determinants of prosocial behavior makes them more likely to help in the future.

Five Ways to Intervene:

1. Direct
Check in with the person being harmed or the person causing harm. Always prioritize your own safety and aim to be calm and non-confrontational.

Examples:

Ask someone who looks uncomfortable if they’re okay.
Tell someone that their behavior is not acceptable if you believe it may harm another person.

2. Delegate
Get someone else involved who may be better suited to intervene. This could be a friend, staff member, or authority figure.

Examples:

Ask someone to check on their friend.
Let a party host know about concerning behavior they should address.

3. Distract
Interrupt the situation by creating a diversion. This gives the person being harmed a chance to step away and reset the situation.

Examples:

Set off a car alarm.
Ask for directions or help with something unrelated.

Delay

4. Delay
If you can’t intervene in the moment, check in later. Following up can still make a big difference by showing support and offering resources.

Examples:

Ask the person if they’re okay once they’re alone.
Offer to accompany them to the Office of Violence Prevention, Campus Safety, or call the SART line at 251-609-1245.
In an emergency, contact Public Safety (24/7) at 251-380-4444.

5. Document
If someone else is already intervening and you feel safe, document what’s happening. This can provide important information later. Only share with permission from the person affected.

Examples:

Write down a detailed description of the incident.
Take a photo or video if it’s safe and appropriate.

Topics of Bystander Intervention offered:

Alcohol and Alcohol Poisoning
Anger
Depression
Discrimination
Disordered Eating
Disordered Eating
Hazing
Sexual Assault
Relationship Abuse

To schedule a Bystander Intervention session, please contact The Office of Violence Prevention at violenceprevention@shc.edu or Sa’Mya Jones at sajones@shc.edu

This project was supported by Grant No. 2020-WA-AX-003 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publications/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.