We Care. We Act. We Are.
That’s the motto of Penn State’s bystander intervention program, Stand For State. Launched last January after over two years of planning, Stand For State promotes bystander intervention in sexual and relationship violence.
The concept behind bystander intervention stems from the idea that people will respond to certain situations based on the reaction they receive from others. Thus, Stand For State encourages bystanders to take a step forward and intervene when they see something happening that they don’t agree with.
According to the Stand For State website, there are two ways that a bystander can take action:
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Reactive: When you see something happening that you don’t agree with, these are the choices that you make in response to the situation
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Proactive: These are steps that you can take to make sure these concerning behaviors don’t happen in the first place
Stand For State offers 60-90 minute bystander training programs that teaches students how to react in the circumstance that they witness an instance of sexual and relationship violence happening. Students will learn the proper ways to intervene in these types of situations, while also learning about things they can do every day to make sure that these situations never happen in the first place.
This Friday, September 16, Her Campus Penn State will be partnering with Stand For State during their involvement fair in the HUB. We stand in solidarity with the initiatives that are represented through Stand For State, because we believe that every voice carries an equal weight.