Bystander Intervention and Other Safety Skill Training
CCSJ holds in-language safety skills training workshops at community centers, senior housing, and other partner sites. A lower barrier to entry than social issue-based workshops, these skills-based workshops help community members feel more empowered. The workshops are also a way for community members to get to know CCSJ staff, especially CYC staff who conduct outreach and deliver victims services, and view CCSJ as a safety resource when needs arise. Workshops are conducted in many languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
Example Topics
Safety on the street
This topic shares advice on protecting one’s physical well-being and property in public spaces. Safety reminders include walking without headphones and keeping their phones secured on public transportation. Many of the tips may be common sense, but CCSJ staff have observed many community members engrossed in their phones on public transit, increasing the risk of theft.
De-escalation
This topic helps community members navigate tense situations that may lead to harm. The training explains how to use an empathetic, non-judgemental, and non-threatening approach to defuse tensions and resolve situations peacefully. It advises community members on how to set limits, while choosing what to insist on and avoiding counterproductive reactions to another person’s escalation behavior.
Bystander intervention
CCSJ adapted strategies from Right to Be’s (formerly hollaback!) model to empower community members to intervene when they witness conflict or harm. The “5D’s” of the model are distraction, delegating, documenting, delaying, and direct intervention. The training also emphasizes the importance of assessing one’s safety before intervening.
Keys to Success
Meet people where they are
We held workshops in spaces that are familiar and convenient to community members to boost attendance. For example, CCSJ partnered with housing complexes, including senior housing sites and CCDC’s affordable housing sites, to hold workshops in common spaces within the buildings.
Cultural competence and context expertise
CYC, who led these workshops, has capacity in multiple Asian languages and staff who have ties to different communities in the city. This allows workshop facilitators to present information in culturally accessible and competent ways.
Partnerships
Partnerships were helpful to achieving both points above. For example, CYC partnered with CCDC to hold safety workshops at Tenderloin Family Housing. Since CYC did not have a staff member who was fluent in Arabic, they partnered with CCDC staff to translate the workshops into Arabic.
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