Insightful Office Hours for BITB High School Facilitators

New in 2023, we launched Office Hours for Bringing in the Bystander® High School license holders. This gives you the opportunity to join our virtual session and ask questions of a lead trainer and to share and learn from colleagues who are implementing BITB at other high schools across the country.

Our most recent Office Hours session was insightful as attendees (BITB facilitators) shared their reluctance to present some of the program’s scenarios due to “triggering” words or actions. It is understandable to have concerns about discussing disturbing scenarios and/or hateful words with high school students as you help them learn to identify unacceptable behaviors and, ultimately, determine if and how to safely intervene. Bringing in the Bystander High School adopts the community of responsibility model where all community members have a role as active bystanders in ending incivility, harassment, discrimination and violence including sexual violence.

High school participants gain the knowledge and skills needed to identify and safely intervene before, during and after instances of risky behavior. To accomplish this goal of the BITB High School program, the lead trainer facilitating the Office Hours reinforced the importance of students being trained on scenarios that research and experience has shown they are likely (unfortunately) experiencing and/or exposed to.

The Importance of Preparation

Lead up and preparation by the facilitator is especially important when the subject matter is jarring. Our lead trainer reinforced that it is important to be prepared and comfortable with the scenario in advance of the training, knowing that the scenario happened to a high school age student. The goal of the program is to present realistic scenarios that may include alarming language or actions for the students to recognize the unacceptable behaviors and have the opportunity to develop and practice bystander intervention skills learning prosocial (positive, appropriate and safe) ways to effectively intervene. Suggested verbiage was shared as to how to effectively set up an explicit scenario including: we are now going to talk about an explicit case; the story is true and happened.

This Office Hour session was beneficial for the other attendees preparing to implement BITB High School during this upcoming school year and was beneficial to our lead trainer and staff. This is precisely the goal of Office Hours to discuss challenges, concerns and strategies so that each attendee leaves the Office Hours with helpful information to implement the program successfully. Together, we will make the world a better and safer place for all, one high school community at a time.

We encourage any current BITB High School license holders to join an upcoming Office Hours event. The next one is October 25th with Office Hours planned each month through the end of the year. Review our Event calendar to identify what works best for your schedule. You are encouraged to participate as frequently as you like. Be sure to sign up in advance as there is a maximum of 20 attendees per session.

To learn more about Bringing in the Bystander High School program, click here. For more information about triggers, please read our blog on Why Trigger Warnings are Not Enough.