From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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The ‘All Right, All Night’ Bystander Intervention campaign aims to drive awareness of new training supports to educate and support young people to stand up, speak out and stay safe when socialising in the evening and at night.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D., has today announced €170,000 in funding support for “All Right, All Night”, a new safety, education and training initiative aimed at young people.
This initiative is in support of the recommendation arising from the Night-Time Economy Youth Forum and Action 34 from the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce which highlighted the issue of public safety at night and suggested ways that current structures could support and enhance safety measures in night-time economy settings.
Funding of €240,000 was provided by the Department in 2023 to support the development of this training and education programme which has been designed specifically for young people aged 16-24 years, by Professor Louise Crowley, University College Cork. The training programme is based on evidence and research gathered through similar workshops held with third level students and has been developed based on the experiences of sexual violence and harassment among young people that they frequently witness and/or experience when socialising at night, even among their peer groups. The launch of today’s campaign aims to encourage people to sign up to this training and support a safer night-time environment. It is anticipated that this training will reach approximately 1,870 young people in 2024/2025.
The funding announced today is supporting the delivery of a series of bespoke, pilot training workshops and education programmes for young people, which will be delivered in school settings, and other out-of-home settings, such as sports clubs and youth groups. Through the workshops, participants will gain a clear understanding of the diversity of lived experiences, and in so doing promote respect and inclusivity. Participants will develop a range of practical skills on how to stay safe, keep their friends safe, and how to make a helpful, safe and effective intervention when they witness problematic behaviour. A series of train-the-trainer programmes will also be delivered to build capacity to deliver more workshops.
The layered learning approach will help participants to both recognise and challenge unacceptable behaviour by triggering their instinct to intervene as well as ensuring that they have the capacity to do so safely and effectively when socialising in the evening and at night.
Further research, data collection and the development of an online course will also be an integral part of the pilot initiative.
Announcing the new pilot initiative, Minister Martin said:
“This training programme further supports our objectives for a safe and inclusive Night-Time Economy. It has been developed in direct response to a recommendation arising from our Night-Time Economy Youth Forum, in which young people highlighted the need for a training and education programme like this. I really welcome this initiative, which will help promote a safe and positive night time environment for young people and equip them with the skills they need to support each other. I hope that young people and youth leaders will sign up for this training and spread this message of safety and inclusion. This initiative is part of a suite of safety initiatives being implemented to support the Night-Time Economy and builds on previous work my Department has done with venues and club owners to roll-out vulnerability training for staff and efforts by the HSE Safer Night-life Programme to promote safety in the Night-Time Economy”.
Professor Louise Crowley from UCC said:
“The palpable appetite for action amongst young people has inspired the development of this pilot programme which will support their engagement in night-time economy activities. This is a critical opportunity for young people to develop and cultivate knowledge and skills to ensure a more respectful, safe and equal future. Through education and empowerment, bystander workshops can enhance ability to better recognise the unacceptability of all forms of harassment, sexual harassment and violence and the capacity to demand a safe and respectful experience for all, thereby enabling a whole of society response to effect real cultural change.”
ENDS
Note for Editors:
The Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce , published in September 2021, aims to create a more safe, diverse and inclusive Night-Time Economy. The Taskforce looked at the issue of public safety and suggested ways that current structures could support and enhance safety measures.
In support of Action 5 of the Taskforce Report, two workshops were held in 2022, in partnership with the Department of Children, Equality, Diversity, Integration and Youth (D/CEDIY) and the National Participation Office. The focus groups offered a platform for young people to share their views on the Night-Time Economy and provided them with an opportunity to provide very real, tangible suggestions on how to improve the Night-Time Economy for young people.
The issue of safety was a substantial concern when it came to engaging with the Night-Time Economy. The young people specifically mentioned the bystander training programme in third level colleges and felt it should be accessible to more young people. The risk of harassment or assault featured as a considerable barrier to enjoying night-time activities. €240,000 was provided in 2023 to develop the programme and the announcement of today’s initiative is a direct outcome of this process which will see the delivery of the programme to a large number of young people right across the country.
Funding of €170,000 will be given to support:
• Pilot in-person workshops for young people, using the customised training course material that specifically addresses young people socialising in the evening and at night across Ireland. Each target audience will have bespoke elements to reflect their realities. They will explore safe bystander skills through scenarios and through peer learning in small groups;
• A ‘Train the Trainer ‘programme in order to build capacity in order to reach as many young people as possible;
• A national social media campaign to drive awareness and sign ups to the “All Right All Night” training; and
• Research, data collection and the development of an online course for further roll out nationally will also be an integral part of the pilot initiative.
Background to the UCC Bystander Intervention Programme
The Bystander Intervention programme at UCC , led by Professor Louise Crowley, first piloted in 2016 with UCC Law, Nursing and Midwifery and Applied Psychology students and is now widely available across the Third Level Sector. The programme educates participants to recognise all forms of sexual hostility, harassment, and violence, and empowers them to make safe and effective interventions. It emphasises that no level of unwanted advances or abuse is acceptable, and mandates a collective responsibility to demand better, by recognising and challenging all forms of misogyny, grooming, sexualised comments, sexual harassment and sexual assault. The 2021-22 programme impact data illustrates the success of the training amongst participating students; since completion 99% believed they can make a difference in respect of sexual harassment and violence on campus, 98% reported having a good understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment and violence and 100% reported having a good ability to intervene in a threatening or dangerous situation.
The social appetite for an all of society response to the devastating impact of sexual harassment and violence has seen the expansion of the Bystander Intervention programme to second level schools, sports clubs and workplaces, recognising the capacity for these shared spaces to facilitate both conversations and actions for change.
The UCC Bystander Intervention Programme is adapted from the Intervention Initiative (Fenton, Mott, McCartan, & Rumney, 2014) which was created at the University of the West of England, funded by Public Health England.
Professor Louise Crowley, and Programme Manager Céline Griffin have vast experience and an award winning reputation for the creation and delivery of bespoke workshops and training that educate participants to better understand and identify acts of sexual harassment and violence, to develop respectful interactions and relationships and to support the development of the necessary skills to empower them to both cultivate and activate their capacity as bystanders to demand a safe and respectful environment through safe and effective interventions.