VickyStubbsPSHE:
Specialist in Bystander Intervention training
for young people to reduce sexual harassment and abuse,
and in tackling misogyny in a way that supports boys and young men.
Bystander Intervention
Bystander Intervention programmes have been used effectively in American universities to reduce sexual harassment and sexual violence, and there has been interest in using the concept in some British universities, too. The programmes involve encouraging and equipping young people to notice potentially harmful language and behaviour and to intervene – at the time or later – to address the problem. Interventions should be risk-assessed and may involve supporting a victim, or encouraging a perpetrator to think through their actions. The aim is always to try to understand and support the person, even where young people (and staff) may not support the behaviour.
Over the past two years, Vicky has been working on adapting the University of Western England’s Bystander Intervention Programme for use in schools. The initial adaptation involved a lot of pupil consultation and staff training, as some of the material included teaching about misogyny, sexual violence and abuse, which needs to be handled carefully. Vicky won the Sex Education Forum Educator of the Year (2022) for Innovation for her work in this area.
More recently, Vicky has been looking at how the Bystander Intervention principles can be applied to a much wider range of school problems, such as bullying, racism and homophobia, and how all this can be effectively targeted at primary school children as well as older pupils. She was recently invited to write some guidance for the National Education Union website on how to broaden the programme to a whole-school approach that would help to tackle sexism and sexual harassment (see the NEU Toolkit).
Bystander Intervention programmes can also be effective in producing a more supportive workplace for adults in schools and beyond. Vicky is happy to provide information and/or training on Bystander Intervention to staff and/or pupils.
Dr Jo Sell
(RSHE researcher, teacher trainer, advisor, writer and conference speaker)
“Vicky has presented her award winning ‘Bystander Responsibility’ materials at two PSHE network meetings for one of the London boroughs that I work with. The sessions were greatly appreciated by the staff who attended. Given the climate we live in, with social media influencers having a negative, often disturbing, yet persuasive, impact on the minds of our children and young people, this whole school approach to dealing with difficult issues is both timely and potentially climate changing for our schools.
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Vicky’s bystander responsibility approach means that issues like racism, religious diversity, homo and transphobic views and discussions around the issues of sexism and misogyny can be discussed in a positive way. A process that challenges the conversations, views and behaviours without alienating and silencing individual pupils, thus helping to expose the dangers and the untruths within certain ideologies.
I am sure that enlisting Vicky’s help with staff training or advice will leave your school or organisation in a stronger place.”
"The evaluation also found that engaged participants could be well placed to deliver cultural change..."
Rebecca Golland
(Pastoral Deputy Head, Highgate School)
“ Vicky’s development of the Bystander Intervention Programme has been transformative for our school.
It is evidence-based and linked to sociological and psychological research which gives it credibility with our students, but this is also balanced with lots of role play, scenarios and discussion to make the sessions interactive and engaging.
Vicky’s expertise in harnessing pupil voice to develop the course was also instrumental to its success and pupils really felt they had ‘buy in’ and that the scenarios on the course felt more realistic to them.”
What pupils have said in anonymous feedback....
"Thoughtful and sensitive format allows for a lot of (pupil) input to discussion"
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"So far the course has been excellent, not waffely and not assuming everyone has the same opinion."
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"Useful and necessary training."
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"The seriousness was good and shows the school cares."
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"The scenarios were quite realistic – good.
I’ve left the sessions with a new piece of knowledge each time."
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"I liked talking to the people I don’t usually talk to because it gave me a better grip on how people with a different mindset to me and my friends think. ”
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"This is the most important stuff we could be learning about right now."
Simon Brunskill
(Head of Sixth Form, Highgate School)
“ Her work on our Bystander project was outstanding: she was able to help synthesise academic research into a series of lessons which were understandable, effective and palatable for a teenage audience, and she was able to swiftly act on feedback to tweak the lessons for the next roll-out.
As someone who delivered this programme, I was incredibly grateful for both the confidence that Vicky gave me in being able to handle the sensitive subject matter and the reassurance that it would be having a positive effect.
The fact that our pupils engaged with the programme so well is testament to the effort and understanding that Vicky brought to this.”
Training children to stop harassment reduces sex attacks, research finds
Daily Telegraph 10 April 2023 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/10/training-childrenstop-harassment/
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