Being a Better Bystander

Intervention Workshop Provides Pro-Active Education on Campus

NewsSarah Lozinski — Published November 3, 2015 | Updated November 4, 2015 at 1:14am

The Sexual Assault Resource Centre will be hosting a Bystander Intervention Workshop this week led by Julie Lalonde, manager of Draw the Line, an Ontario interactive campaign which aims to inform and equip bystanders with information regarding sexual harassment and violence.

“Part of Julie Lalonde’s presentation is getting participants to think through scenarios and how they would intervene,” said Jennifer Drummond, the SARC coordinator. “This is dependant on the scenario. Not all scenarios require serious intervention, a lot are more subtle and may require intervention.”

The university released a policy on sexual violence at the end of summer, recommending more education and training, which is what SARC is working towards beginning with this workshop.

The workshop will not only give attendees the necessary tools and education to intervene in a case of sexual violence or harassment, but will also focus on generating an awareness to what could be precursors to sexual assault.

This could come in forms that society has “normalized,” but which Drummond cites as red-flags that could potentially identify a possible offender. An example of this is someone making a rape joke, or a joke about the issue of consent.

Bystander intervention at that point could be something as simple as calling out the individual who made the joke, questioning their position on such a matter. While it may seem banal, it may have repercussions as serious as preventing a possible sexual assault in the future.

Bystander Intervention Workshop // Wednesday, Nov. 4 // 5 to 7 p.m. // 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Room H-767 // Free

The Sexual Assault Resource Center offers crisis intervention and support for Concordia students. The drop-in center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and it is staffed by educated volunteers. A small information library is also available to students who wish to educate themselves on the issues of sexual healing and sexual assault awareness. The drop-in center and offices are located in the GM building, rooms 300.25 and 300.27.