Creating CHECK IT Culture: The Power of Student Creativity, Community Building, and Bystander Intervention

• In Event: 44.019 - College Communities in the New Era of Title IX: Confronting Sexualized Violence

Abstract

In order to address a complex issue like sexualized violence at a college level, a holistic and multi-layered approach to violence prevention is necessary, one that reaches and engages students and communities from across campus. When done effectively, bystander Intervention programs can serve as an accessible entry point for conversation and action around violence prevention. Through analyzing the CHECK IT movement at Humboldt State University, this presentation will explore the culture changing potential of bystander intervention grounded within peer education (a crucial piece to a comprehensive approach), the key components of an effective bystander intervention program, and ways we can understand and actively challenge the factors that create a culture supportive of sexual violence on college campuses. Furthermore, through exploring the real-life experiences of students on the ground doing this work, we’ll share how we can effectively harness the power of peer to peer influence, social marketing, and community building in ways that creatively engage students, get them connected to this work, and ultimately, create a campus wide movement that brings down the rates of violence and creates more consent and survivor centered norms.

CHECK IT’s work, which will be highlighted throughout the presentation, is built upon the social ecological model of prevention and the ways violence operates at an individual, interpersonal, community, and societal level. CHECK IT utilizes an intersectional framework to understand the ways our multiple identities shape our experiences with violence, the resources we have access to, as well as the barriers we may experience to intervening in potential moments of harm. The core of our curriculum is informed by prior bystander intervention literature (such as Darley and Latane’s Diffusion of Responsibility theory) which highlight the way people’s personal, peer-to-peer, and societal factors uniquely impact their barriers, and the response strategies they may use. CHECK IT provides our campus community with multiple tools for intervening in ways that are realistic and match people’s unique personalities, identities, and communication styles.

CHECK IT’s program is grounded within the “Diffusion of Innovation” theory by Everett Rogers. We, in combination with social marketing and branding principles, used this theory to strategically establish new norms and engage the critical mass of our student population. Prior to our program launch, we identified and trained influential leaders from across sub-groups in violence prevention. These student leaders shaped our campaign materials, participated in outreach, and initiated conversations within their own peer groups about CHECK IT once we launched. This caused a ripple effect on campus, leading us to reach students quickly, and gain a positive reputation on campus.

Since our February 2014 launch, CHECK IT’s creative outreach, skill building workshops, and consent themed party and event resources have normalized the language of bystander intervention. It has sparked conversations and importantly, has empowered students to take action and make a difference. CHECK IT’s collaborative and wide spread efforts have truly shown that we can create real culture change on a college campus, with students at the forefront.

Author

• Mary Sue Savage, Humboldt State University