{"id":1963,"date":"2025-04-01T09:38:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T08:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/edi\/?p=1963"},"modified":"2025-04-01T09:39:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T08:39:32","slug":"charlotte-hooson-sykes-active-bystander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/edi\/2025\/04\/01\/charlotte-hooson-sykes-active-bystander\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte Hooson-Sykes: Active Bystander"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Over a decade ago, I signed up to become a Harassment Support Advisor. We\u2019re there when someone uses the Report & Support system, to offer an ear and signpost useful procedures and systems that the University has in place, all without judgement and in a completely confidential setting.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years I\u2019ve attended a myriad of courses to strengthen my knowledge, on topics such as domestic violence and mental health and support. I have also met with various teams across the University who offer support, such as the Counselling Service and Mediation team.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the courses I attended that I <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> come back to, that I\u2019ve found one of the most useful to recommend to those I meet with, is Active Bystander Training.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Active Bystander Training equips you with the skills and confidence to intervene safely and effectively when you witness inappropriate, harmful, or discriminatory behaviour. It not only helps you identify when something is wrong, but also helps you identify the best way to deal with it. It means that as a bystander witnessing something that makes you feel uncomfortable, concerned or worried, you know what your options are. Rather than feeling helpless, you are enabled to act.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And in doing so, you become an ally, helping our community feel safe.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In understanding what harmful behaviour looks like, we can recognise both overt acts of discrimination and those that are more subtle; the little comments or actions that might seem innocuous, but that can have a significant impact on self-worth and sense of belonging. It\u2019s incredibly useful both at work, study and at home. It\u2019s enabled me to feel confident enough to have some very awkward conversations (even if I\u2019m not sure I felt comfortable about it!).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s perhaps not so obvious, is that it is also useful for the victim of the act. The tools it teaches \u2013 the 4Ds \u2013 can be just as helpful to the person experiencing the discrimination, as they are to someone witnessing it. This means that both the bystander and the victim then have the tools and the confidence to act.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Challenging this behaviour might seem scary, but it doesn\u2019t have to be. And in doing so, we help build this University community we\u2019re all part of. We help our staff and students feel safe, respected, and empowered. I want to know that my colleagues, the students I deal with, those I pass on Oxford Road, feel safe and accepted here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The University offers Active Bystander training to both staff and students, through the EDI Directorate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Related<\/h1>\n

Related posts:<\/h3>
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Stephanie Danson: Active Bystander<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
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Sadia Habib and \u00dcmit Yildiz (MIE Anti-Racist Education Network): Defining Islamophobia and Tracing t...<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
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Rachel Miller: On Active Bystanding<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

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Contact Us<\/h4>\n

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+44 (0) 161 306 6000<\/p>\n

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The University of Manchester
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