December 12, 2014 | By Ashley Schwedt, bystander intervention graduate coordinator, marketing & design consultant
Have you ever noticed a harmful situation and wanted to help, but didn't? Have you ever not recognized a situation as harmful because it didn't personally affect you? Have you ever said something potentially harmful and then felt unsure about how to proceed? Most folks will answer yes to at least one of these questions, and that is nothing to feel guilty about!
Change it Up!, a bystander intervention workshop, provided over 4,000 first year-students the opportunity to learn important intervention skills and build their confidence in becoming active bystanders in their communities. Change it Up! was newsly developed this year as a mandated first-year student program thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Spectrum Center, University Housing, the Program on Intergroup Relations, and the University of Michigan Educational Theatre Company. During the months of October and November, student/staff co-facilitation pairs presented Change it Up! to groups of 25-250 first-year students.
Through engaging facilitation and interactive theatre sketches, students were able to broaden their lens of awareness, build motivation to intervene, and actually practice their intervention skills. An initial evaluation of the pre & post surveys that participants completed shows that Change it Up! had a hugely positive impact.
Not only did students learn about different forms of intervention and build their confidence in intervening, they also widened their lenses to notice harm that may not directly impact them or their own identities.
Change it Up! is currently in the process of developing partnerships with graduate and professional schools at the University to find the best ways to create an entire university community of active bystanders who can intervene in harmful situations to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all students. With questions about Change it Up! or to learn more, visit changeitup.umich.edu or [email protected].