Shippensburg University’s Pride and Gender Equity Center held a Bystander Engagement Workshop as one of its many events for Domestic Violence Awareness Month on Oct. 6 in the CUB.

Many PAGE Center faculty and students were present for the event, along with members of different domestic violence service groups, including Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties, also known as DVSCP. 

According to its mission statement on its website, DVSCP “…supports the empowerment of those who are experiencing domestic violence through the provision of equitable and inclusive direct services and the promotion of nonviolence through social and systems change.” 

The first topic discussed was what domestic violence is, which was defined as “a complex set of abusive tactics used to create and maintain power and control over another individual.” 

Other topics included how common domestic violence is in Pennsylvania, the most common age group to experience domestic violence and identifying red flags in relationships.

Students were offered snacks and drinks while listening to the presentations and anonymously answering questions about domestic violence.

Following the presentation, the next order of business for the workshop was the interactive activity titled “In their Shoes,” which aimed to give participants a better understanding of what people go through in situations involving domestic violence. 

To accomplish this, the activity had two main objectives, which was to understand how people could initially struggle to leave an abusive relationship and how these relationships can impact everyone, regardless of their identity or a community they are apart of. 

The interactive activity involved participants receiving character cards, which included a wide variety of characters in different situations involving domestic violence. After receiving their character card, participants would travel to different stations around the room that featured story cards with decisions to make for their character, ultimately ending with a final outcome for their character’s domestic violence story. 

After participants completed the activity, they concluded the workshop with a debrief to discuss thoughts and feelings about their experience doing the activity. The discussion included talking about initial reactions to the activity, barriers and realities they noticed for people in situations of domestic violence and leaving time for everyone to personally reflect on how they felt emotionally during the activity. 

For more information or access to resources, please utilize the sources below:

PAGE Center: 717-477-1291

DVSCP website: https://dvscp.org

DVSCP hotline: 1-800-852-2102

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