Bystander Intervention / De-escalation Workshop
Sat. January 7, 6-8pm
Join us at SOHO20 Gallery for a bystander intervention workshop facilitated by Rachel S Blum Levy. Bystander intervention and de-escalation involve a series of tools which can be consciously employed to defuse volatile situations. In this interactive workshop, bystander intervention and de-escalation will be presented in the context of self-defense and harm reduction. Students will identify verbal and non-verbal techniques and tactics to de-escalate conflict. Students will also learn the four Ds of bystander intervention – direct, distract, delay, and delegate. All of these tactics will be presented in tandem with the importance of larger scale community organizing and alternatives to policing. Participants will be encouraged to unpack the ways in which we are taught to access danger, and which bodies we are taught to read as dangerous.
About the facilitator: Rachel S Blum Levy has a Master’s Degree from CUNY Hunter College in macro social work and community organizing. She has professional clinical experiences working in the field of HIV / AIDS and as a crisis counselor. She is a former Collective Member of Bluestockings Bookstore, one of the last 13 feminist bookstores in the country, and a co-founder of the long running feminist zine Hoax.