Bringing in the Bystander – working together to end sexual violence at UM
Sexual violence has been and continues to be a pressing concern for post-secondary students all over Canada. It can include, but is not limited to: street harassment, unwanted contact, sexual assault and stalking.
In order to help contribute to a culture of safety on campus—UM’s Student Support is recruiting paid facilitators for a sexual violence prevention program called Bringing in the Bystander™.
Bringing in the Bystander™ is an effective, interactive prevention workshop that is based on the concept that all community members have a role to play in preventing sexual violence. This program is housed within the University of Manitoba’s Sexual Violence Resource Centre and is a component of the broader Sexual Violence Prevention and Education strategy on campus.
Student participants learn the importance of speaking out against social norms that support sexual violence, to become aware of and identify potential risks in various situations, to develop empathy and support for persons who have experienced violence and explore how to safely interrupt or intervene in situations that can lead to sexual violence. Participants also learn about important resources on and off campus to support their peers who may have witnessed or lived through these harmful experiences.
“Bringing in the Bystander is such a great initiative at UM because it empowers students to intervene in potentially dangerous situations. Learning the necessary skills to safely take action and help others will create a safer environment for U of M students,” said Lauren Bartlett of the Bisons Women’s Basketball team.
As a paid facilitator, you will help deliver this program to students on campus and contribute to a shared community knowledge of the impact of sexual violence – and how bystanders have an important role to play in overall community safety.
Facilitators will receive training in the program – and will be expected to facilitate workshops throughout the school year and over the summer. These workshops have the potential to be transformative for both facilitators and student participants.
“The Bringing in the Bystander™ program provides students with the practical skills needed to help end sexual violence on our campuses. Its focus on education with years of research to back it up proves it works,” said Riley Shannon, Bringing in the Bystander program assistant.
Training for Bringing in the Bystander facilitators will be overseen and organized by Bre Woligroski, Sexual Violence Resource Centre Coordinator, Britt Harvey, Health and Wellness Educator, and Leah Deane, Director, Student Services at Bannatyne Campus.
“Sexual violence is an important issue that deeply impacts members of our University community. I think this program offers invaluable training and knowledge to students on the issue of sexual violence. As a facilitator, you will be at the forefront of that work,” says Leah Deane, Director, Student Services at Bannatyne.
In order to qualify to be a paid facilitator you need to be a full-time student (nine credit hours per term) and be able to commit to 18 months with the program beginning this summer.
For successful applicants there will be paid mandatory training on May 17 from 1:00 – 4:00pm as well as May 19 & 20 from 10:00am – 4:30pm.
Detailed application information for the facilitator opportunity can be found here. Deadline for applications is May 3, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.
For further details or questions please contact us at bitb [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.