Empower Your Institution with Active Bystander Training
We offer comprehensive packages tailored to your institution's needs.
The Active Bystander Programme is a core element of UCL students’ induction that aims to empower them to recognise and challenge unacceptable behaviours including bullying, harassment, discrimination, hate crime, hate incidents, microaggressions and sexual misconduct, on campus and beyond. The programme provides students with the tools to safely intervene if they witness or experience any of these unacceptable behaviours.
Since its launch, the programme has trained over 50,000 students and has grown to be the largest programme of its kind in UK Universities, leading the sector through its peer-to-peer delivery model.
In 2022, we started offering tailor-made packages to external institutions. These packages are designed to meet the specific needs of your students, and can include access to our online module as well as an optional Train-the-Trainer Training programme. Our training programme package comes with a license to deliver our workshop content, enabling your team to facilitate sessions across your institution without the need to develop your own student training.
Our highly successful student training precedes the introduction of the Office for Students’ regulations, specifically Condition E6. It is not a tick-box exercise, but a pedagogically grounded intervention designed to foster cultural change and cultivate respectful, inclusive and supportive communities. By embedding our programme, institutions can meet regulatory expectations in a way that is both meaningful and sustainable.
Our Packages
- Online Module Package
A Comprehensive Online Module:
- which students can access remotely, at their own pace.
- designed to raise awareness and build confidence in challenging unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour.
- includes accessible and varied interactive elements to maintain engagement.
- customisable with your institution's branding, specific signposting and semantics.Key Topics:
- what it means to be an Active Bystander.
- how to recognise inappropriate behaviour.
- understanding and addressing:
- Bullying
- Harassment, discrimination, and microaggressions.
- Hate crimes and hate incidents.
- Sexual misconduct and consent.
- practical steps: What to do once unacceptable behaviour is recognised.
- guidance on what comes next after completing the module.Delivery and Licensing:
- suitable for any Learning Management System (LMS).
- includes a 3-year license to use Students' Union UCL's Active Bystander module content.- Live Workshop: Train the Trainer Package
Format and Delivery:
- two full days of in-person, bespoke training.
- designed for up to 10 selected Workshop Leaders from your institution.
- delivered by experienced facilitators to ensure high-quality, interactive learning.Training Content:
- core themes around Equity, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EEDI).
- skills for facilitation and managing challenging conversations.
- guidance on receiving disclosures and creating safe learning environments.
- includes minor content customisation (e.g. branding, institutional signposting, scenario tweaks).Included Resources:
- a printed bespoke Trainer Manual for each participant.
- access to our live workshop slide deck for use in your institution.
- termly catch-ups as part of our ongoing Community of Practice.Licensing Terms:
- includes a 1-year license to use our general Active Bystander live workshop content (renewal available).
- license includes minor content edits (e.g. branding, institutional signposting, scenario adjustments).
- only trained Workshop Leaders may deliver the content within your institution.Benefits of our Training Package:
Empowered facilitators: Facilitators will receive personalised support in small groups, helping them feel confident, capable, and ready to facilitate.
High-impact delivery: Our tailored guidance will empower you to have engaging, effective workshops that resonate with your students.
Improved learner outcomes: Participants leave with practical tools and a deeper understanding of how to facilitate and run effective workshops.
Scalable and sustainable: Our packages are flexible for growth in capacity and delivery, enabling your organisation to embed a culture of active bystanders for years to come.
Evidence-informed design: The training programme and content is grounded in a decade of pedagogical exploration and best practices, ensuring it is engaging, relevant, and effective.- Bespoke Options
Bespoke Scenarios:
These scenarios will be based on specific issues or key themes that might have arisen at your institution, with specific reference to places on campus/locally that students would know.Focus Group with your Students for Bespoke Scenarios:
A one-hour focus group with up to 10 students from your institution, facilitated by Students’ Union UCL to provide insight into key issues that they are facing on your campus.Fully Bespoke Content:
If your institution is interested in bespoke content for an Online Module or Live Workshop such as Consent & Tackling Sexual Violence, Allyship, Bullying & Harassment etc, please contact us for further discussion.
About the Programme at Students' Union UCL
- What does the programme look like at Students' Union UCL?
1. Complete the online module
This is an interactive, self-led module that introduces students to the definitions of common unacceptable behaviours, and the fundamental concepts of Active Bystander intervention. It takes students 20-30 minutes to complete.
2. Attend a live workshop
The live workshop builds on the knowledge gained from the online module through practical examples, scenarios and peer discussions. Students will learn how to safely intervene and gain practical skills. The workshop is 90 minutes long and is peer-facilitated by our trained student staff (Workshop Leaders).3. Become an Active Bystander
Students receive a certificate after completing their Active Bystander training and feedback forms, joining thousands of students across campus helping keep our community safe.In 2023-2024, the Active Bystander programme trained 6,130 students across UCL. Over 20 trained student Workshop Leaders successfully delivered our sector-leading programme to undergraduate (UG), postgraduate taught (PGT), and postgraduate research (PGR) students across UCL.
- Online Module Success at Students' Union UCL
Our 2023-2024 quantitative and qualitative analysis of our online module showed that:
- 94% of students agreed they understand what constitutes bullying, harassment, and discrimination (N = 2741/2919)
- 75% of students agreed that the online module was useful (N = 2190/2919)
- 99% of comments related to the online module were positive (N = 2047 / 2057)Students said:
- “The most useful parts were the scenarios which helped me to understand better the different types of behaviour and also the 5 Ds because without this module I would not know what to do if I witness inappropriate behaviour.”
- “Through this module I learned a lot about how to contribute more in the society and how to helpful in order to create peace and comfortable situations for everyone, including myself.”
- “It helped me feel more confident to be an active bystander in a way that is safe and situation appropriate. It helped me realise and feel more confident in my options.”- Live Workshop Success at Students' Union UCL
Our 2023-2024 quantitative and qualitative analysis of our live workshops showed that:
- 84% of students agreed that the in person live workshop was useful (N = 1276/1513)
- 88% of students agreed that they feel more prepared to intervene after attending the in person live workshop (N = 1335/1513)
- For the the online live workshops, students agreed 80% (N = 1358/1698) and 85% (N = 1451/1698), respectively.Students said:
- “This UCL course… makes me feel that I have made the right decision to study at UCL. Having such an education is of great significance for a person to become a good citizen and create a better society. I'm really starting to really like UCL!!”- “ [I liked that the workshop was] raising awareness to all types and most importantly a plan of action and how to act upon these. Additionally, the chance to meet other students within my department and share views and opinions.”
- “I think the discussions allowed to see different viewpoint/potential ways of dealing with/de-escalating situations that may occur that I may not have thought of on my own.”