Bringing in the Bystander During the Pandemic
A Virtual Water Cooler Event to Share and Learn
We recently completed a Virtual Water Cooler Event for high school, college and community partners who are license holders of Bringing in the Bystander® (BITB). Our goal was to hear directly how implementation had gone during the pandemic. We are thankful to the participants who shared their experiences and insight to help us continue to revise and improve how best to reach all audiences as the role of the bystander remains so important.
Our Pandemic Pivot
When the pandemic first started, Soteria Solutions released guidelines for teaching BITB via a remote platform in a synchronous environment. A license modification was required since BITB had previously been taught in person. Approximately 100 license holders requested the virtual implementation guidelines and license modifications.
Key Learnings from the Virtual Water Cooler Event
It was wonderful to hear the positives of shifting implementation from in-person training to virtual training. Benefits of virtual live streaming included:
logistics were easier; as available rooms and breakout rooms were no longer needed.
less lead time was needed for the trainer to plan for and schedule the training.
the ability to hold smaller group training sessions more easily
reaching groups that previously had been challenging to train
anonymity and confidentiality; incorporating tools such as Pear Deck™ allowed participants to actively participate while remaining anonymous.
the above tools also helped promote discussion as the moderator could leverage anonymous feedback to prompt conversations.
While there were many benefits shared from the Virtual Water Cooler attendees, not everything went smoothly. As most of us have experienced in some form or another, attendance was adversely affected as was active participation. Communication was noted as a challenge when a facilitator was all set to teach virtually, only to learn that the session was going to be a hybrid, with in person and virtual attendees.
Based on input from this Virtual Water Cooler event, we have identified several initiatives to continue adapting Bringing in the Bystander to engage stakeholders and to help our high school, college and community partners create and maintain safe and respectful learning and living environments. Thank you to all who participated.
We will be moving forward with evaluating the implementation of BITB via livestream. If you have ideas for how we can better support you or are interested in partnering with us on evaluation efforts, we would love to hear from you at info@soteriasolutions.org.
We plan to host another Virtual Water Cooler event in May so please stay tuned.
Learn more about our proven solutions for High Schools, Colleges and Workplaces.
Contact us to learn more about how Soteria Solutions can help you achieve sustainable change.