Active Bystander-Tackling Violence against Women and Girls
Course details
Dates: 21 October 2025, 9 Feb 2026
Time: 9.30 to 12.30am
Venue: Gateshead Learning Centre
Facilitators: Specialist presenters from Gateshead Council
Booking: via Learning Hub
About the course
We can all be bystanders. Every day events unfold around us. At some point, we will register someone in danger. When this happens, we will decide to do or say something (and become an active bystander), or to simply let it go (and remain a passive bystander).
When we intervene, we signal to the perpetrator that their behaviour is unacceptable. If such messages are constantly reinforced within our community, we can shift the boundaries of what is considered acceptable and problem behaviour can be stopped.
Learning to recognise when someone is in danger and how you can intervene safely is an essential skill. Safely intervening could mean anything from a disapproving look, interrupting or distracting someone, not laughing at a sexist or a violent joke, talking to a friend about their behaviour in a non-confrontational way to caring for a friend who's experienced problematic behaviour. Other times, it means asking friends, staff, or the police for help.
Course Outline
- Bystander intervention - the key ideas
- Street Harassment/Sexual Harassment in public spaces
- What are we talking about and why?
- Masculinity, violence and group norms
- Understanding the impacts
- Changing the script - challenging the myths
- Having transformative conversations
- Practicing skilful interventions
The session includes:
- The scale, type and use of drug (including legal highs, information on overdose, and Naloxone) and alcohol within Gateshead.
- Information on the risks associated with drug and alcohol misuse.
- Approaches being used by treatment providers to combat drug and alcohol misuse.
- Support available (including the role of Recovery Champions).
Suitable for
Anybody working in Gateshead
