PROGRAMS & TOOLS

PREVENTION
PROGRAMMING MATRIX

Know Your Power®

Know Your Power®, a social marketing campaign distributed exclusively by Soteria Solutions, is a nationally recognized program focused on reducing sexual and relationship violence and stalking on college campuses. The campaign consists of a series of images which portray realistic and thought-provoking scenarios that highlight the important role all members of the community have in ending sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking.

Authors
Prevention Innovations, University of New Hampshire
Image of Know Your Power®
Program Name Level of Evidence Format Target Audience Special Features
Know Your Power®
Supported By Evidence
  • Marketing Campaign
  • Undergraduate students
  • Graduate Students
  • Faculty and staff
Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • gain an understanding of what bystander responsibility is through the presentation of concepts and examples
  • gain an understanding of individual and situational factors that facilitate appropriate bystander intervention
  • be able to identify the range of unacceptable sexual behaviors and become aware of the prevalence and context of sexual violence
  • increase their empathy for victims
  • understand the role community members can play in preventing sexual and relationship violence and stalking and reducing its negative consequences
  • cultivate skills in identifying situations where bystander intervention may be appropriate
Methods

Know Your Power® consists of a series of campaigns which portray realistic and proactive scenarios that highlight the important role all members of the community have in ending sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. The images raise awareness about the problem of sexual and relationship violence and stalking and model active bystander behaviors that the target audience can use in situations where violence is occurring, has occurred, or has the potential to occur. The Know Your Power® Campaign can be used on its own or in combination with the Bringing in the Bystander® In-Person Prevention Program. Through guided exercises in focus groups, over 700 target audience members have contributed to the design and message of the images. Initial evaluations of community characteristics and needs enables Soteria Solutions to tailor the awareness campaign for target audiences.

Dosage

Soteria Solutions offers an in-depth toolkit with the purchase of Know Your Power. The toolkit helps schools and community partners consider which image to choose, how long to display them for and how to evaluate their programming.

Logistics

The program uses 16 different online and print marketing campaigns to raise awareness of sexual violence and inspire action around campus. It requires a coordinated effort from an administrator to make the different elements of the program visible throughout the campus. Images can be customized to include your logo, school mascot or incorporate campus culture and campus names.

Soteria Solutions has created a brand new, free with every purchase, Know Your Power Implementation Toolkit. Full of tons of tips and supplemental material to get each campaign up and running!

Population Served

College students.

Theoretical Basis For Approach

The program is a social marketing campaign based on a bystander intervention model. Bystander intervention is a model of sexual violence prevention based on evidence that community norms play a significant role in the perpetration of violence, especially on college campuses (Schwartz & DeKeseredy, 1997, 2000). Educating members of college communities about the realities of sexual assault and equipping them with tools to identify and prevent rape can help create important cultural shifts away from perpetuating and towards preventing assault and harassment.

Program Effectiveness

Peer-reviewed publications demonstrate that exposure to the Know Your Power® campaign increases students’ awareness of their role as bystanders in prevention efforts and increase their willingness to intervene (Potter, 2012). Know Your Power® has been recognized by national media outlets and the White House.

PARTICIPATING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

More than 500 colleges, universities, and higher education partners use Soteria Solutions' Bringing in the Bystander® College Prevention Program and Know Your Power® Social Media Marketing Campaign. Visit their website for recent testimonials from participating organizations such as Caldwell University; Connecticut State Colleges & Universities; University of Manitoba; Carthage College; University of Bath and more.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR ADMINIsTRATORS

Soteria Solutions' unique focus on research and consultations/technical support are its greatest strength and allows Know Your Power to be tailored to the specific needs of a wide range of campuses and organizations. Diverse identities are represented in the KYP campaign which communicates a focus on accessibility and inclusiveness. Know Your Power® can be implemented independently but is probably best utilized in conjunction with other programs. A campus able to implement both Know Your Power® and Soteria Solutions' other program - Bringing in the Bystander® - would be providing an ongoing, comprehensive, and multi-level approach to sexual violence prevention.

HOW TO ACCESS THIS PROGRAM

Visit their shop for a list of products and pricing or contact info@soteriasolutions.org.  Materials are ordered in bulk and prices are dependent on quantity. Posters, bookmarks, table tents, postcards and bus wraps are all available to order.

Sources

Potter S. J. (2012). Using a multi-media social marketing campaign to increase active bystanders on the college campus. Journal of American College Health. 60, 282-295. doi:10.1080/07448481.2011.599350

Potter, S. J. & Stapleton J.G. (2011). Bringing in the target audience in bystander social marketing materials for communities: Suggestions for practitioners. Violence Against Women 17, 797-812. doi:10.1177/1077801211410364

Potter, S. J. & Stapleton, J. G., (2012). Translating sexual assault and stalking prevention from a college campus to a U.S. military post: Piloting the Know-Your-Power Social Marketing Campaign. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 27: 1593-1621. doi:10.1177/0886260511425795

Potter S. J., & Stapleton J. G. (2013). Assessing the efficacy of a bystander social marketing campaign four weeks following the campaign administration. Sexual Assault Report. 16, 65-80.

Potter, S. J., Stapleton, J. G., & Moynihan, M. M. (2008). Designing, implementing and evaluating a media campaign illustrating the bystander role. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 36, 39-56. doi:10.1080/ 10852350802022308

Potter, S. J., Moynihan, M. M., Stapleton, J. G., & Banyard, V. L. (2009). Empowering bystanders to prevent campus violence against women. Violence Against Women 15, 106-121. doi:10.1177/1077801208327482

Potter, S. J., Moynihan, M. M., & Stapleton, J. G. (2011). Using social self-identification in social marketing materials aimed at reducing violence against women on campus. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26, 971-900. doi:10.1177/0886260510365870

Schwartz, M. D., & DeKeseredy, W. (1997). Sexual assault on the college campus: The role of male peer support. Sage Publications. doi:10.4135/9781452232065

Schwartz, M. D., & DeKeseredy, W. S. (2000). Aggregation bias and woman abuse. J Interpers Violence, 15, 555-65. doi:10.1177/088626000015006001