ERIE, Pa. — The Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Community Outreach, Research and Evaluation (CORE) at Penn State Behrend will host a free bystander intervention training session on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
The session, titled “Proactive Bystander Intervention to Prevent Peer Aggression,” will take place at 7 p.m. in Room 180 of the Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center, located at 5101 Jordan Road. It is free and open to the public, and free parking will be available in the deck located behind Burke Center, off Technology Drive.
Through this training, attendees will learn how to recognize bullying and develop strategies to minimize danger and support the victim. The session will be led by Melanie Hetzel-Riggin, associate professor of psychology, and will include interactive activities and role-playing components. Those who complete the training will leave with the skills needed to teach others how to be a proactive bystander.
The session is sponsored by the Mentor Project, a CORE initiative designed to promote positive youth development by pairing area grade-school students with trained college students and community members.
CORE, an outreach effort of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Penn State Behrend, provides and supports school-based events, community-based activities, and public training sessions across Erie County. The center’s work in the Union City Area School District has cut truancy and drop-out rates by more than half and has knocked the district’s teen-pregnancy rate to a 10-year low.
For more information, contact Mary Baird, mentor coordinator, at 814-898-6514 or mab894@psu.edu.