Bystander Intervention: Making Spaces Safer for Everyone

What is Bystander Intervention and how does it make music spaces and other public gathering places more safe, accessible, and fun for everyone?

Know (knowledge): 

• What Bystander Intervention is and why it’s necessary
• The 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention
• How and when to use the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention

Mastery Objective

• Students will be able to explain what Bystander Intervention is, identify the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention, and articulate how and when to use them in music spaces and other social scenarios by viewing media, completing handouts, and practicing using the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention in a variety of scenarios.

In this lesson, students will explore the practice of Bystander Intervention and examine how its use can make music spaces and other public gathering places more safe, accessible, and fun for everyone. Students will identify the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention and view videos explaining important terms and the need for safe public spaces. Students will then practice how the 5 Ds can be used in various scenarios and share about their experience practicing Bystander Intervention.

Bystander Intervention is a proven methodology that anyone can use in order to safely support someone who is experiencing a potentially harmful situation. The methodology is based on the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct. Depending on the severity of the harm, how safe the bystander feels, as well as the bystander's communication skills and innate personality, there is a D for every situation.

The 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention were developed by Right to Be (formerly known as Hollaback!), a non-profit organization that works to end harassment in all its forms. To develop the 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention for identity-based harassment, Right to Be partnered with Green Dot, a violence-prevention program of the non-profit, Alteristic. Alteristic had previously pioneered the 3 Ds of Bystander Intervention: Distract, Delegate, and Direct. Through their partnership, Delayed and Document were added.

To make the concept of Bystander Intervention and its use more concrete, students will be introduced to Maggie Arthur, a violence prevention educator and Director of Here for the Music. Here for the Music is the anti-harassment campaign of the non-profit organization, Calling All Crows, which works to mobilize music fans to fuel feminist movements.