Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Home > Student Services > Title IX - Sexual Misconduct > Green Dot Bystander Intervention

Green Dot Bystander Intervention

Pete cartoon GreenDot.pngPower-based personal violence (sexual assault, dating, domestic and intimate partner violence, and stalking) will end when enough people take action to help end it. Change happens as people become able to identify risky situations then take action to confront, interrupt, or prevent acts of power-based personal violence. 

What is a Green Dot?

A Green Dot is any choice, behavior, or action that promotes safety for everyone and communicates intolerance for power-based personal violence in our OCC community. Everyone can do Green Dots to make our community safer and Green Dots can be reactive or proactive. 

Reactive Green Dots

Reactive Green Dots are choices and actions we make in the moment to respond to a potential act of power-based personal violence. Reactive Green Dots come in the form of the Three Ds: Direct, Distract, and Delegate.

DIRECT: Confront the situation directly

You can address the potential target by asking if they are okay or need help with the situation. You can also address the person who you think is about to commit an act of power-based personal violence. Be direct, you might say: "Stop" or "Leave them alone" or "Don't do that." Make sure you are safe when addressing the situation. The DIRECT technique tends to work best when you know the person and they trust you. 

DISTRACT: Create a distraction that interrupts the situation

The DISTRACT technique involves causing some form of distraction that will interrupt and diffuse the situation before the act of power-based personal violence can occur. You can get creative with how you choose to distract. You can choose to distract the potential target, the person who you think is about to commit an act of power-based personal violence, or both. 

DELEGATE: Involve others and get help

If you do not feel comfortable approaching the situation alone, find others who can help you intervene. You can also involve a person with some authority to address the situation you observed. The goal of the DELEGATE approach is to involve another person who may be in a better position to help prevent an act of power-based personal violence. 

Proactive Green Dots

Proactive Green Dots are things we can do in our daily lives that make it less likely that an act of power-based personal violence will ever happen. This could include signing up for the Green Dot Bystander Training, posting a bystander intervention story on social media, or having a conversation with a friend.

Green Dot Bystander Training

The Green Dot Bystander Training is for students who are interested in learning about bystander intervention and how to end power-based personal violence on our campus. Meet with other students, develop tangible skills, and learn how to make a difference at OCC and in your community. 

Sign up HERE to be informed of when the next Green Dot Bystander Training is scheduled.