Five years on, Bystander Initiative strengthens prevention efforts

Participants of the Bystander Initiative course. (Courtesy Frances Cachon)

We cannot change what we do not acknowledge, says learning specialist Frances Cachon.

As the University of Windsor’s Bystander Initiative marks five years since its campus-wide expansion, Cachon, the program’s coordinator, emphasizes the importance of addressing difficult topics head-on.

“By getting comfortable in the discomfort, that's where the potential for real transformation lies,” she said. “Having public, informed and open conversations that matter is how we create meaningful social change.”

The initiative encourages students to safely intervene in situations of harm, with a focus on preventing sexual violence. Launched in 2011 by psychology professor Charlene Senn and Anne Forrest, then director of women’s and gender studies, the program has since grown to include campus-wide workshops, the most cross-listed undergraduate courses and partnerships across faculties.

The Bystander Initiative offers a Canadian adaptation of the Bringing in the Bystander workshop, a 2.5-hour online session led live by a team of three student facilitators.

These facilitators, who have completed two cross-listed undergraduate courses, gain expertise in sexual violence prevention, bystander intervention and leadership in social change.

Sessions combine interactive activities, knowledge-sharing and an empathy exercise. With the goal of training 10 to 15 per cent of the student body each year, the workshop emphasizes “pro-social bystander intervention” as central to prevention work.

“The Bystander Initiative 3500 course has been the best course I have taken during my undergraduate studies,” said Marlene Nkombo, a recent human kinetics graduate. “It has been great connecting and learning with students from different programs in this class about how to promote a positive and safe campus community. I 100 per cent recommend this class to anyone.”

The workshop also promotes consent culture and increases students’ capacity to effectively respond to disclosures.

“We know that 75 per cent of all disclosures on campus are peer-to-peer. Students are more likely to tell their friends than a faculty member or someone in mental health services,” Cachon said. “The response they get from their peer will have a profound impact on their healing journey.”

Students consistently review the programming favourably, sharing: “I greatly appreciated the workshop. The facilitators’ professionalism and knowledge were exceptional. Their ability to maintain a supportive [learning] environment was phenomenal.” And: “The workshop is extremely helpful and is a great asset to the University of Windsor.”

Bystander intervention programming is integrated into several faculties, including law, nursing, engineering, education and FAHSS, where students may receive course credit or bonus marks for participating. Law students, for example, reflect on how the workshop informs their professional ethics, while education students consider prevention strategies to use in classrooms.

Faculty are key campus stakeholders in prevention.

“As a clinical psychologist, I have seen the kinds of impacts sexual violence, and a lack of support following sexual violence, can have on an individual’s understanding of who they are, their relationships, and how they interact with the world around them,” said Chantal Boucher, a professor in the department of psychology. “We can change this. YOU can change this. Sexual violence should never be something we look past. It should never be the norm. We are ALL responsible for keeping each other safe and showing our support for survivors. The Bystander Initiative shows us how.”

This kind of support has enabled the Bystander Initiative to reach students in diverse disciplines and achieve impact on a campus-wide scale. The most recent workshops during the 2024-25 fall and winter semesters drew more than 1,800 participants — something Cachon calls critical, as prevention work relies on community responsibility.

“If we're going to meaningfully address sexual violence, we really need to recognize as a society that this is everyone's issue and that every one of us has a role to play. We all need to make a personal and social commitment to do something about it,” she said.

Student registration for Fall workshops is now open via mySuccess. Look for the Prevent. Resist. Support Events Calendar.

Applications for BI’s undergraduate course (Practical Strategies for Social Change) are scheduled to go live for Oct. 1 at Our Academic Courses

Learn more about the Bystander Initiative at The Bystander Initiative.

By Lindsay Charlton

Courtesy: https://www.uwindsor.ca/news/2025-09-29/five-years-bystander-initiative-strengthens-prevention-efforts