Years ago, there was a workshop developed in which participants were assigned to groups where they brainstormed policies and actions to prevent violence. Groups included educators, business owners, media, faith leaders and a made-up association called the "National Association of Bystanders." That fictional group became a reality at the conference Bystander Intervention: From Its Roots to the Road Ahead in Boston, Mass. There were opportunities to learn from and share with bystander intervention advocates from around the world, and to examine where the work has been and where it is going. The podcasts below are reflections from conference participants.

Why and how we teach/facilitate bystander intervention
(25 mins) Linda Langford, Sc.D., of the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention talks about her presentation on bystander intervention pedagogy at the conference Bystander Intervention: From Its Roots to the Road Ahead. Watch here>>

Reflections from Jackson Katz
(21 mins) Jackson Katz, Ph.D., co-founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention and an organizer of the conference Bystander Intervention: From Its Roots to the Road Ahead, describes this conference and what he sees as the next steps to advance the bystander approach to prevent men's violence against women. Listen here>>

Backbone Zone: Encouraging action to confront abuse
(3 mins) Drew Wing talks about the campaign from the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Boys to Men. The Backbone Zone helps students find their backbone, and gives tools to confront gender-bullying, sexual harassment, and sexist and homophobic language when they see and hear it. Watch here>>

Alleviating anxiety around social media as a tool for prevention

By Ashley Maier
Last week, I presented a web conference called Media and Technology in Sexual Violence Prevention for the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP). A proud "non-techie," I like to approach these trainings in ways that alleviate anxiety about using these tools for sexual violence prevention. Often, training participants ask how they can convince leadership at their organizations to embrace the media and tech worlds, using the tools to further their prevention efforts. They tell me that their leadership hesitates for a number of reasons, many of which are highlighted in this article. Though directed at small businesses, it applies to our violence prevention work and organizations. Who hasn't worried about having adequate time and resources or about the personal/professional divide? Read more>>