Girls' LEAP Teaches Girls how to De-escalate a situation

The problem...
24.4% of girls grades 9-12 reported being in a physical fight in the last 12 months

The Girls' LEAP Difference...

"I learned that whenever you might feel uncomfortable you don't have to resort to a physical defense method.  You can always talk it out with the person so it wouldn't have to escalate as much." 
                                                                             ~ Aminata, age 16

At Girls' LEAP we develop girls' conflict resolution skills and teach violence de-escalation techniques. Results from our programs indicate that 95% of our girls learn to demonstrate a diverse and tangible skill set to assess risk and address conflict. 

Bullying and the Bystander Effect

Bullying involves more than a bully and a victim.  In most cases there are usually always bystanders- people who watch or hear about bullying.  The effect being that the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that anyone will help.

Most people think that by being a bystander their role in a situation remains neutral.  This is rarely the case.  Depending on a bystanders response, they are either contributing to the problem or the solution.

Passive bystanders enable bullies by providing an audience.  This along with silent acceptance allows bullies to continue their destructive behavior.

Proactive bystanders are people who utilize their role to prevent or stop bullying.  Some directly intervene by discouraging the bully, standing up for the victim, or redirecting the situation.  Others get help by rallying support from peers to stand up against bullying or by reporting the bullying to adults. 

What you can do
Often times bystanders are bothered by bullying but don't speak up.  Talk to your children about bullying at school and in the community.  Discuss what bullying is and why it is hurtful.  If you are comfortable talking about the issue, provide examples of safe ways to intervene and include any personal anecdotes of how bystanders have shown courage and made a difference in real-life situations. You can also help your child by directing them to other supportive adults or advocates such as a school counselor or Girls' LEAP teacher.

What Girls’ LEAP is doing

This past summer, Teen Mentors from Girls’ LEAP’s summer program began researching the bystander effect as it relates to bullying. With guidance from a Girls’ LEAP staff member, Teen Mentors created several pilot activities intended to spark conversation around passive versus proactive bystanders, and equip participants with ways to help prevent or deescalate conflict through their bystander roles. Supplementary activities will be researched and crafted this fall, with the hope to introduce a youth-led workshop on empowering bystanders in the spring of 2011.