What is the Active Bystander Programme?
The Active Bystander Programme aims to train UCL students to recognise and challenge problematic behaviours, such as bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct both on- and off-campus. The programme is part of our journey towards social and cultural change and compliments other initiatives across the Students' Union and UCL, such as UCL's Respect and Inclusion module or sexual harassment training provided for clubs and societies by the Union.
The programme was originally launched as part of the Full Stop Campaign, which called for the UCL community to come together and say no to bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct. We recognise that to prevent these behaviours, we must address them as a community in which each member can do their part to challenge bullying, harassment and sexual violence. A great way to start is by becoming an Active Bystander.
How does it work?
The programme consists of two parts – an online module available via our website and a live workshop that is organised in collaboration with UCL's departments. Students must take part in both components to complete the training.
Online Module
Students first complete the online module within their own time, which takes around 30 minutes. This module allows students to familiarise themselves with the definitions of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct, walks them through example scenarios that illustrate how these behaviours might occur and provides them with information about support services available both on- and off-campus.
At the end of the online module, students take a short quiz that tests their knowledge of the topics discussed in the training. Students must get a pass mark of at least 80% to be able to attend a live workshop.
Note: If the online module says ''In Progress'', but you've passed the quiz and completed the feedback form, please disregard it, you have now successfully completed the training.
Live Workshops
After completing the online module and quiz, students attend a live workshop that is organised within their department and run by one of our experienced workshop leaders. Each workshop lasts around 90 minutes. If your department has not booked a live workshop for you, we will be organising a limited number of general sessions for students who were unable to attend a session organised by their department from reading week onwards. Most workshops are in-person, but a limited number of online sessions will be available each week for students who are unable to attend in person.
The workshop builds on the knowledge gained in the online module and teaches students practical skills that will allow them to safely intervene should they ever witness a situation where someone is being mistreated. These sessions also offer a chance for students to ask questions and discuss bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct with their peers.
If less than five students turn up at a workshop then it will be cancelled and they will need to attend another workshop. For this reason, students may want to go to the workshop with their course mates/ friends/ society/ club.
If you have questions about the programme, please check our FAQs below. If you would like to get in touch with us, you can check our Contact Us page for contact information.
External Higher Education Providers
Thinking of implementing Active Bystander training at your institution? We can help. We offer comprehensive packages tailored to your institutions needs. Get in touch with us at [email protected]