Bystander Intervention Training

This training discusses a series of verbal tactics and techniques for bystander intervention and de-escalation, and it frames this in the context of harm reduction and self-defense. I am starting from the premise that the concept of safety is loaded - that our premonitions about what is and is not safe are influenced by racism, xenophobia, transphobia etc. In order to determine how to best intervene in situations, we have to continue to scan the environment to assess danger. We also have to unpack how we read danger, which bodies we read as dangerous. A primary goal is to direct participants away from calling 911 or the police, for participants to walk away with the verbal tools to defuse situations before police or authorities are called. Bystander intervention is also presented in tandem with community organizing - sometimes, in the moment, we compromise with a perpetrator...however it cannot stop there. We have to continue to learn and unlearn systems of oppression, to educate others, to support survivors etc. 

Bio:

​Rachel Blum Levy, LMSW is a social worker and an educator with a committing to disrupting cycles of violence. She holds a Master's Degree from CUNY Hunter College in Community Organizing, Planning, and Development. She is employed as a Clinical Coordinator at a transitional housing shelter, and has previous professional experience in the field of HIV / AIDS. She is additionally the Lead Facilitator and Curriculum Developer for the renowned Bystander Intervention 101 Training conducted in partnership with The Accompany Project. Rachel is proud to be a former Collective Member of Bluestockings Bookstore, one of the last thirteen feminist bookstores in the country.

Please RSVP here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bystander-intervention-training-tickets-32052720550