To kick off the spring semester, Pacific University’s Center for Peace and Spirituality (CPAS) is offering students the chance to attend a Bystander Intervention Workshop for free. A training designed to help develop self-protection skills and valuable intervention tactics, for real world application.
“There have been many different hate crimes in the U.S. over the last year, and so many opportunities for people to stand up and intervene and be good allies,” Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, director of CPAS said. “But you want people to have a great set of skills for deescalating situations and not getting hurt, and that’s what this Bystander Intervention Workshop is designed to do.”
The training, which will take place at Ainsworth United Church of Christ in Portland, will be hosted by Don’t Shoot PDX, an organization known for its work in organizing protests and its efforts in upholding police accountability.
“I think the two partners, both Don’t Shoot PXD and Ainsworth United Church of Christ, will help better teach our students about non-violence,” Currie said. “And how to be bystanders who can help protect the civil rights of others in the community.”
According to Currie, if students respond positively to the workshop, CPAS would potentially
look into bringing the training to Pacific’s Forest Grove campus sometime this spring.
“I hope students come out of this training feeling empowered to be active citizens and to help our country stem the tide of the crimes and harassment we have seen over the last year,” Currie said. “If we want peace in the world, we need to work for peace in our own communities, and this is a great opportunity for students to learn how to be peace makers on our own campus.”
The Bystander Intervention Workshop will be held on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Any students interested in attending the event can email Chuck Currie at chuck.currie@pacificu.edu to have their donation fee for the training waived.
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