Green Dot Resources
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Research-Informed Curriculum
The Green Dot Strategy is a comprehensive approach to violence prevention that capitalizes on the power of peer and cultural influence across all levels of the socio-ecological model. Informed by social change theory, the model targets all community members as potential bystanders, and seeks to engage them, through awareness, education, and skills-practice, in proactive behaviors that establish intolerance of violence as the norm, as well as reactive interventions in high-risk situations – resulting in the ultimate reduction of violence. Specifically, the program targets influential individuals from across community subgroups. The goal is for these groups to engage in a basic education program that will equip them to integrate moments of prevention within existing relationships and daily activities – both personal and professional. By doing so, new norms will be introduced and those within their sphere of influence will be significantly influenced to move from passive agreement that violence is wrong, to active intervention. In recognition of the necessity of a multi-faceted approach to violence prevention, Green Dot expands the traditional approach to bystander intervention beyond reactively addressing imminently high risk situation on an individual basis, to proactively engaging bystanders with access to all levels of the social ecology. The reality is, even if an individual never personally witnesses a high risk situation, we are all bystanders to the reality that too many women, men and children are victims of power based personal violence in our communities. Therefore, Green Dot is designed as a community mobilization strategy that provides a framework and common language to engage the broader bystander community in making changes across the social ecology – including not only intervention in high risk situations, but also improving response systems, shifting norms of inaction and strengthening policy and enforcement.
The Green Dot Strategy is copyrighted by Dorothy J. Edwards, Ph.D., 2009
If you have any questions or would like to connect with someone about the Green Dot Program please email greendot@udayton.edu or call The Dean of Students Office at 229-1212 and ask to speak with someone about Green Dot.