Bringing in the Bystander

As described in this BHLP workshop, a bystander is someone who is witnessing or part of a particular negative situation, but fails to intervene for the sake of any victim(s). In situations where someone is being wronged or hurt, many people witnessing are likely appalled and want to stop the situation. However, they feel powerless to make a change. I grew up in a home that discouraged getting involved in any situation outside of my personal realm, as "putting my two cents in" was both obnoxious and rude. From this workshop, that couldn't be further from the truth.

In the context of this workshop, the bystander phenomena was applied to violence towards women and learning what to do to intervene safely. However, being a bystander can be applied to other societal issues, such as systemic violence or inhumane practice. One of the Five Exemplary Practices of Leadership is Enable Others to Act. This could be to accomplish a common goal within a group project or empowering others to step in when something negative is happening. The ability to transition from bystander to an active participant for change is crucial to becoming a good leader; it could be the stepping stone into a better society.

Being a bystander can happen anywhere, from club meetings to everyday life. During my freshman year, I was briefly involved with the organization Lazarus Rising, which was dedicated to helping the homeless develop resume building and job skills to reenter the workforce. Many Americans, whether they know it or not, are bystanders to the homelessness issue. In fact, there are many harmful stereotypes that keep homeless individuals from bettering their lives; claiming the homeless "choose" this situation or that they are lazy drug abusers are just a few examples ("Myths", n.d). Being a part of Lazarus Rising allowed me to see how these stereotypes were harming the homeless and how they need active help to improve their lives; watching on as a bystander does nothing.

There were two skills I acquired in this workshop: (1) the ability to recognize toxic, unjust, or dangerous behaviors in people and (2) methods of diffusing the situation to make it safe for all parties involved. Joining Lazarus Rising was a reaction to acknowledging the unjust nature of being homeless and receiving little to no assistance from others. Rather than resorting to destructive methods of change, starting an organization to teach the homeless how to brush up on resume and skill building will empower them for a better life.