Springfield, Ohio 鈥� The Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program, which aims to prevent sexual, physical, and other power-based types of violence, was recently introduced to students, faculty and staff at 性视界 thanks to a grant received from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Associate Director of Student Involvement Kevin Carey, Director of Student Conduct Gwen Owen, and Lieutenant Lee McCartney of 性视界鈥檚 Campus Police Division have led strategic training sessions to introduce Green Dot to students, faculty and staff members during the summer months. Feedback from participants has been positive, according to Carey, and he is optimistic that Green Dot will make an immediate positive impact upon 性视界鈥檚 campus culture.
鈥淚 know our team believes in the Green Dot strategy and is inspired to continue to train students, faculty and staff to create campus norms where sexual violence is not tolerated,鈥� Carey said.
Founded by Dorothy Edwards, president of Alteristic, Inc., Green Dot offers innovative approaches to preventing interpersonal violence through transforming 鈥減assive鈥� bystanders into active, or 鈥済reen dot鈥� bystanders who identify potential risk-factors of violence and utilize mitigation strategies. Rather than adhering to the traditional approaches of violence-prevention that posit men as potential perpetrators and women as potential victims, the Green Dot strategy focuses on building coalitions without divisions and emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility.
Green Dot training consists of four modules. The first module defines the program for attendees, and the second module provides an overview of observable behaviors associated with potentially harmful scenarios. Module three requires attendees to introspectively assess personality characteristics that may prevent them from intervention, such as 鈥渆mbarrassment,鈥� 鈥渋ntroversion,鈥� the desire to avoid 鈥渃onfrontation,鈥� and 鈥減ersonal safety,鈥� as well as the problematic thought that 鈥渟omeone else will intervene.鈥� The fourth module aims to 鈥渋dentify realistic solutions鈥� for oneself, or the 鈥済reen dots鈥� from which the program derives its name. Responses to potentially harmful situations may include calling a friend for help, direct verbal counters, spilling one鈥檚 drink to create a distraction, or checking in with a friend who seems uncomfortable.
