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As educators, you play a vital role in shaping safe, inclusive learning environments where every student feels seen, heard, and protected. Taking action not only helps prevent the escalation of harmful behavior but also provides meaningful support to victims. By modeling and teaching these principles, you contribute to building safer communities both inside and beyond the classroom.
What is a bystander?
A bystander is a person who witnesses an unsafe or problematic situation and can affect the situation by their actions. Bystanders often do not intervene.
What is an upstander?
An upstander is a person who notices a situation and chooses to act in a way that could stop the situation or positively impact the victim and overall outcome.
Educators can encourage students to become upstanders instead of just bystanders.
Common Barriers to Bystander Intervention
There are many reasons that students choose to not intervene in bullying or harmful situations.
Some of these reasons are:
- Social backlash of intervening
- Fear of not being taken seriously by others
- Believing that it is not their responsibility to intervene
- Believing someone else will intervene
- Desire to avoid conflict
- Viewing the perpetrator as having high status
- Not intervening being seen as normal
- Believing that their actions could not impact the situation
- Not interpreting a situation as harmful or dangerous
Teaching Students about Bystander Intervention
Before teaching students how to intervene, it is important to understand the basic steps and methods typically used in bystander intervention.
Intervention Steps
- Notice the situation.
- Determine if the situation is problematic.
- Decide to intervene.
- Identify the best way to intervene.
- Actively intervene in the situation.
Intervention Methods
- Disrupt: Interrupt the situation in some way.
- Delegate: Ask someone else to help, such as a teacher.
- Document: Create evidence for an investigation, such as writing down what people involved say or do.
- Delay: Support the victim by helping them or checking in.
- Direct: Actively intervene to stop the situation.
There are many ways to teach students how to intervene.
1. Build a Supportive Culture – Create an environment where empathy, respect, and responsibility are consistently modeled and reinforced.
Example: Begin each class with a quick “check-in” activity where students share positive observations about peers, promoting mutual respect.
2. Model Upstander Behavior – Demonstrate how to respond to conflict, exclusion, or unsafe situations with courage and compassion in everyday interactions.
Example: If a student is being left out of a group activity, calmly invite them to join and explain why inclusion matters.
3. Conduct Awareness Campaigns – Use posters, videos, and social media to highlight the importance of speaking up and supporting others.
Example: Create a school-wide campaign with the slogan “Be the One Who Steps Up” featuring student testimonials and statistics about the impact of intervention.
4. Teach Safe Intervention – Teach students about the steps and strategies for assessing situations and choosing effective, safe actions.
Example: Create flowcharts or checklists that guide students through decision-making based on the intervention steps and methods.
5. Use Discussion Prompts – Facilitate open conversations that encourage reflection and critical thinking about intervention.
Example: Use prompts like “What would you do if you saw someone being bullied?” or “Have you ever wanted to help but didn’t know how?” to spark dialogue and explore barriers to action.
6. Practice with Role-Play Scenarios – Engage students in practicing responses to real-life situations involving bullying, harassment, or safety threats.
Example: Set up small groups where students act out scenarios like witnessing name-calling or exclusion and then discuss different intervention strategies.
Try This!
Use the following role-play scenario to help students understand and practice bystander intervention.
Scenario Description: During lunch at school, a group of students is sitting together. One student, Jordan, begins teasing another student, Alex, about their clothes and appearance. The teasing escalates into name-calling and laughter from others at the table. A few students nearby notice what’s happening but don’t say anything.
Roles: Jordan, Alex, Bystanders, Upstander
Instructions: Act out the scenario with no upstander. Discuss what could be a helpful intervention. Repeat the scenario with the upstander and the intervention. Discuss the outcome of the intervention.
Reference
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Bystander Intervention Tip Sheet. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/pi/health-equity/bystander-intervention