Jane Horton, MD October 7, 2010Washington and Lee University Presentation to VACALC

• Green Dot is built on the premise that in order to measurably reduce the perpetration of power-based personal violence, a cultural shift is necessary

• In order to create a cultural shift, a critical mass of people will need to engage in a new behavior or set of behaviors that will make violence less sustainable within any given community

• The “new behavior” is a green dot

• Green Dot: A single choice in one moment in time that makes the world safer.

• Green Dot: A social movement that harnesses the power of peer influence and individual bystander choices to create lasting culture change resulting in the ultimate reduction of power-based personal violence.

Key theoretical drivers of Green Dot:

• Bystander Behavior Theory• Diffusion of Innovation / Social Diffusion

Theory• Social Marketing Theory• Socio-ecological Model of peer and cultural

influence

• Diffusion of Innovation / Social Diffusion Theory– Behavior change in a population can be initiated and then

diffused if enough natural and influential opinion leaders within the population visibly adopt, endorse and support an innovative behavior (Rogers, 1983)

– Popular opinion leaders (POLs) of a given population are identified, recruited and trained

– They shift targeted attitudes and behaviors in their community and sphere of influence

– Application has been successful across settings and content areas

Social Marketing:• Understand the consumer—involve key

stakeholders in design and implementation• Design the “product” to meet consumer needs,

desires, expectations• Market the “product” to overcome consumer

obstacles, misperceptions• Goal—product and marketing are consistent

with community mission, vision, values

• Green Dots carry influence and create change across all levels of the socio-ecological model.

• Regardless of the level, ultimately change is created when an individual takes a specific action.

• The scope of the influence – from individual to societal – is determined by the access and sphere of influence of the individual.

• Tim, the freshmen college student makes the single choice to write a paper on violence prevention, increasing his knowledge and making an impact at the individual level.

• Paul, a lawyer in town, makes the single choice to have a conversation with his brother about the importance of getting involved in prevention efforts, making an impact at the relational level.

• Karen, president of the local home-owners association, makes the single choice to organize a community training for her neighborhood, impacting at the community level.

• Kristen, a Hollywood producer, makes the single choice to avoid gratuitous violence in all her movies, making an impact at the societal level.

In order for individuals to forward prevention efforts by engaging in a new behavior, they need to:

• Believe there is an issue• Believe they are a necessary part of addressing

the issue• Know what to do• Know how to do it• Feel their contribution is manageable

Three key tasks of Green Dot training:• Recognize red dot behaviors• Identify our “self-defining moments” when our

recognition of red dots meets our obstacles and we are tempted not to act

• Minimize, eliminate or overcome these obstacles and perform green dots

The Green Dot curriculum is comprised of three primary components, each with an emphasis on particular elements of the Butterfly:

• Green Dot Persuasive Speech• Green Dot Bystander Training• Social Marketing Campaign

• Green Dot Persuasive Speech– 5 minutes to 1 hour– Introduce the basic elements of Green Dot– Use persuasive and inspirational language– Generate community-wide buy-in– Butterfly: build ownership through relationship

building and connection to issue

• Social Marketing Campaign– Increase awareness and social acceptance of core

language and principles of Green Dot– Use of Green Dot symbols and marketing strategies– Associate Green Dot with socially influential individuals

and groups (POLs)– Increase social desirability of targeted bystander

behaviors– Butterfly: maximize the influence of each Green Dot

behavior

Green Dot Bystander Training• Interactive training, 5-7 hours• Tailor for target audience and issue• Equip participants with knowledge and skills to

increase proactive and reactive bystander behaviors• Target participants that carry the most social

influence across sub-groups within the community– Intentional relationship building and invitations

• Butterfly: build competence, knowledge and skills to intervene

Green Dot Bystander Training• 4 modules, each utilizing multiple learning

modalities– Lecture– Video clips– Clickers, Go to your corner, Chip questions– Small group skills practice– Activities to develop / strengthen ownership

Green Dot Bystander Training• Module One: “Tiny pushes…”

– An Introduction to Green Dot

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were

great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate

of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.-Helen Keller

Do you know someone who has had an act of power based personal violence committed against them?

1.Yes2.No

If you know someone who has had an act of power-based personal violence committed against them, was there ever a bystander who could have attempted to stop the violence?

1.Yes2.No

Have you ever directly observed a red-dot moment?

1. Yes, on campus2. Yes, off campus3. Yes, both on and

off campus4. no

Green Dot Bystander Training• Module Two: “Not to be neutral…”

– Recognizing Red Dots

Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side

with the powerful, not to be neutral.-Paulo Freire

Green Dot Bystander Training• Module Three: What we are capable of doing…”

– Bystanders: Identifying Self-defining Moments and Overcoming Obstacles

GREEN DOT

RECOGNIZE

SELF DEFINING MOMENT

Understanding Offender Behaviors that:

1)are potential high risk2)could be pre-cursors to high risk

Alcohol…offenders best friend• Ability to resist is reduced

• Less likely to report

• Moves blame from offender to victim

Concerning Behaviors that could lead to Sexual Assault

Normal Behaviors within a Consensual Hookup

Identifies someone they think they can score with

Identifies someone they think they can score with

Turns on the charm and tries to get the person to like them

Turns on the charm and tries to get the person to like them

Buys the person a few drinks Buys the person a few drinks

Uses some cheesy line like, “your place or mine?”

Uses some cheesy line like, “your place or mine?”

They have sex They have sex

Take a second look

Check in

What if it were someone I loved?

Green Dot Bystander Training• Module Four: “Above all, try something…”

– Proactive and Reactive Green Dots

It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try

another. But above all, try something.-Franklin D. Roosevelt

•Bystander Dynamics

•Peer Influence

•Personal

•Bystander Dynamics

•Diffusion of Responsibility•Evaluation Apprehension•Pluralistic Ignorance•Cause of Misfortune•Helping Model

“To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see everyday, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.

- Theodore H. White

•Personal• “I’m an introvert”• “I can’t stand conflict”• “I’m shy”• “I hate calling attention to myself”

• “It’s not my concern”• “I don’t want to get involved”

Which of these bystander obstacles might keep you from acting?

1. There are other people around who will probably act so I don’t have to.

2. Don’t want to be embarrassed3. No one else is doing anything4. The victim looks like they “had it

coming.”5. My friends would give me a hard

time if I did anything6. My personality traits make it

hard (I’m shy, hate conflict, etc.)7. It’s not my concern and I don’t

want to get involved.

3 categories of green dots:

•Direct

•Distract

•Delegate

You are at a party and you see a girl who is obviously intoxicated, being pulled up the stairs toward the designated room. Given your obstacles, what are you most likely to do?

1. Distract: Go to the guy and tell him you have had too much to drink and are about to puke and that he needs to take you to the bathroom.

2. Direct: Go up to the guy and ask him what he is doing.

3. Direct: Go up to the girl and tell her you want to talk to her in private.

4. Delegate: Tell the girl’s friend and suggest that she go get her

GO TO YOUR CORNER:You notice someone slipping a drug into someone’s drink at a bar. Given your obstacles, what are you most likely to do?

1. Direct: You confront the person who slipped the drug, “I saw you do that, and I’m going to call the cops.”

2. Direct: You tell the person whose drink was drugged.

3. Distract: You “accidently” spill the drink.

4. Delegate: You let the bartender know what you saw and ask him/her to do something

Who we are is what we do…

Just impact your peers

You already do it everyday!

What we doWhat we say

Interpersonal influence is THE most significant factor

What are you communicating?

How wonderful it is that nobody need

wait a single moment before

starting to improve the world.

-Anne Frank