Upstander Workshop with True Story Theater – two session training
Hosted by The Racial and Immigration Justice Teams of UUAC
Saturday, December 2 from 2-5pm AND Monday, January 15* (MLK Day) from 2-5 pm
Please contact Molly Howes at molly.howes(at)comcast.net if interested in attending.
Also, please mail a check for $20. (Made out to UUAC with “Upstander Training” on the memo line) to UUAC Sherborn, c/o Racial Justice Team.
*Please note: You must attend the first session if you want to attend the second. More information can be found at truestorytheater.com
Active bystanders (upstanders) are now needed more than ever. We’ve all heard stories about everyday bigotry or witnessed it in our own lives. Come learn how to handle these incidents in a productive, safe way.
This training will:
- Train participants on safe and effective ways to intervene
- Explore feelings and actions involved with being an ally
- Witness the True Story actors as they embody our experiences
- Practice scenarios and improvised role play
Passive bystanders witness harm-doing and do nothing. Many reasons: fear, assuming someone else will act, not knowing what to do, being too polite, not wanting to take the time… Active bystanders witness harm-doing and take constructive action. Positive action can take many forms, both during and after the event, depending on the situation, the persons involved, and the temperament and abilities of the bystander(s). Interventions are needed in a wide range of situations: from outright attacks…to everyday bigotry, overt and subtle…to micro-aggressions and obliviousness. The goal of all interventions is to create greater safety, respect, and inclusion for all people in our communities.
In this interactive workshop you will practice a set of basic strategies for intervening against bigotry and evaluate in the group their effectiveness in different situations. True Story Theater will help explore why being an active bystander or Upstander matters, the challenges, and provide scenarios for trying out interventions.
