Bates Green Dot Mission

We believe that we can foster a safe community where social norms are transformed to show that violence is not tolerated and that everyone can play a part in violence prevention.  Through the everyday actions of individuals on campus, showing that violence prevention is important to us and looking out for each other is paramount, we can create a campus that is safer for everyone.

Those interested in attending a training or hosting one for their team or organization should email greendot@bates.edu.

Introducing Green Dot Bystander Intervention @ Bates College

Bates is excited to build upon the success of the Bates College Green Dot Bystander Intervention program. Green Dot is a comprehensive, strategic and research-based approach to violence prevention. Nationally, over 106 college institutions are Green Dot certified.

Green Dot’s teachings are focused on eradicating power based personal violence, and the skills learned in training are applicable to intervening in all situations from physical or sexual violence, to inappropriate language, to dorm damage and more. It utilizes peer to peer influence to shift and change cultural expectations. Green Dot focuses on creating two new social norms:

1. Violence will not be tolerated at Bates
2. All community members have a part to play (large or small) in violence prevention and to keep students, faculty, staff, colleagues, friends, and loved ones safe.

Green Dot not only serves to create informed and active bystanders, but works to challenge and change cultural norms to prevent violence before it even occurs.

At Bates, we offer 90 minute Green Dot Overviews where students learn about Green Dot and basic skills for recognizing and intervening in potentially harmful situations. We also offer 4-hour Green Dot Certification Trainings that allow students to further explore and apply their intervention skills as well as confront personal, peer and situational obstacles that may hinder their likelihood to intervene, even when they want to.  Faculty and Staff are offered training as well because violence prevention at Bates is a community effort, and we all have a part to play in preventing power-based personal violence!

“Nobody has to do everything, but everyone has to do something.”

Learning Objectives for Green Dot at Bates:

• Community members will be able to identify warning signs of high-risk or potentially harmful situations
• Community members will be able to identify personal obstacles that prevent them from intervening in high-risk or potentially harmful situations
• Community members will be able to effectively demonstrate the direct, distract, and delegate strategies to reactively intervene in high-risk situations
• Community members will be able to describe their responsibility as bystanders to step into situations they recognize as potentially harmful in whatever way they are able
• Community members will be able to perform proactive Green Dots that communicate violence prevention is a value on the Bates Campus
• Community members will understand that they are a part of a community where individuals reactively intervene in high-risk situations and proactively work to transform social norms to show that violence is not tolerated in the Bates Community and that everyone needs to play their part in keeping Bates safe

Bates Green Dot Articles

• Keeping the Community Safe One Green Dot at a Time – Bobcat Basketball Leaders Focus Their Team on Green Dot Bystander Intervention 1/20/2017
• Green Dot Equips Students (Lots of Students) To Stop Power-Based Personal Violence 12/8/2016

Green Dot Grads on Campus

We currently have:

• 291 4-hour certified student Green Dot Grads
• 142 students trained in the 2022-2023 Academic Year
• 1,191+ 4-hour certified alumni bringing their bystander intervention skills into different communities in the world
• ALL current students trained in a 90 minute overview of bystander skills
• 700+ faculty/staff trained in a 90 minute overview of bystander skills

Get Involved or Learn More

To learn more about Green Dot, we encourage Bates community members to attend a Green Dot Overview. To find out other ways to get involved and for further inquires, please contact greendot@bates.edu