Dedicating to ending sexual violence on campus
PROGRAMS & TOOLS
PREVENTION
PROGRAMMING MATRIX
One Act
One Act is an in-person workshop for students of all genders that focuses on prevention of sexual assault through bystander intervention. One Act teaches a four-step framework for bystander intervention: observe, assess, ACT (ask for help, create a distraction, talk directly), and follow-up. There is a modified 3-hour version that is tailored for members of fraternities and sororities that focuses specifically on high-risk drinking.
| Program Name | Level of Evidence | Format | Target Audience | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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One Act
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Supported By Evidence |
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Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, students will:
- decrease acceptance of violence, rape myths, and rape-supportive language
- increase personal investment, confidence, and willingness to act
- increase self-reported acts of prosocial bystander behavior
Methods
This workshop includes: an empathy building exercise; definitions of terms; a review of warning signs of sexual violence and bystander intervention theory; and, demonstration of examples of peer intervention through scenarios and role-play.
Dosage
One four-hour session (3 hours for Greek version)
Logistics
The program is designed to be facilitated by one staff or graduate assistant, plus two or three undergraduate peer educators. UNC can provide curricula materials for training facilitators and educators.
Population Served
Undergraduate students, graduate students, members of fraternities and sororities
Theoretical Basis For Approach
This program builds off the previous research conducted on successful bystander programs such as Bringing in the Bystander and Green Dot. The program authors emphasize that it is a community-based approach that avoids characterizing women as victims, men and perpetrators, and alienating gender-nonconforming students.
Program Effectiveness
One evaluation of the program was conducted and published in a peer-reviewed journal. The study used an experimental design, comparing the program to another UNC-developed workshop called HAVEN that does not have a bystander intervention component. Overall, One Act showed a stronger effect than HAVEN. The evaluation demonstrated significant effects for confidence to intervene as a bystander and willingness to help. There were non-significant effects for date rape attitudes and bystander behavior.
PARTICIPATING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
UNC Chapel Hill
CONSIDERATIONS FOR ADMINIsTRATORS
This program is an excellent choice for schools because it is very low-cost: the curriculum is free and can be used to train students as peer educators. Workshops like this are highly valuable because research tells us that people learn the most when they are engaged in their learning. Still, at large school it would take a considerable institutional logistical commitment to coordinate these workshops for all students.
HOW TO ACCESS THIS PROGRAM
UNC shares curriculum materials and evaluation tools at no cost to those who interested. Contact: oneact@unc.edu.
Sources
Alegría-Flores, K., Raker, K., Pleasants, R.K., Weaver M.A., & Weinberger, M. (2015) Preventing Interpersonal Violence on College Campuses: The Effect of One Act Training on Bystander Intervention. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1-24. Retreived from: http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/05/21/0886260515587666.abstract