Active Bystander Scenarios
SET #1
What impact will this scenario have on your colleague/team/community?
What potential impact would not disrupting the behaviour have?
How do you feel in the moment? What emotions might you feel in the scenario?
How might you be an active bystander in that moment?
(Group 1) Children’s staff need to put up a picture high on the wall. The manager points to a male staff member and says, “You probably should get on the ladder and do this.”
(Group 2) A colleague misgenders a new employee by using the wrong pronouns. The new employee corrects them. Another staff member overhears the colleague say, “You don’t look trans.”
(Group 3) A staff member seems to be spending a lot of time on a task and jokes, “I’m really OCD about this!”
(Group 4) A staff member enters the staff room and says, “Wow, ethnic food has a strong smell!”
(Group 5) A colleague says, “It’s all about BIPOC, LGBTQ+, mental health or disability or whatever labels…we’ve all got problems!”
(Group 6) A colleague says, “If it’s normal to stereotype and our brains are hard-wired to have biases, then I’m ok with my biases. I’ll make sure it doesn’t impact my work!”
(Group 7) A colleague says, “Do we really need to be doing this EDI stuff? I haven’t seen any discrimination at Surrey Libraries. We’re all so busy. Why can’t we just get on with our jobs?”
(Group 8) A colleague says, “Most of these problem incidents in the branches are caused by Indigenous peoples, just saying…”
SET #3 PATRON-RELATED SCENARIOS
How do you feel in the moment? What emotions does the scenario trigger?
How might you be an active bystander in that moment?
(Groups 1) A patron says to your BIPOC colleague, “I want to speak to someone who speaks proper English. I don’t understand your accent.”
(Groups 2) Your BIPOC colleague is working at the Info desk. A white female patron, who has on other occasions made racist remarks, throws her library card on the desk in front of your colleague. The patron tells your colleague that she wants to place magazines on hold. The patron’s tone and attitude are disparaging and disrespectful.
(Groups 3) A patron says to an Asian-presenting patron or to your Asian colleague: “You people are responsible for the pandemic.”
(Groups 4) A couple of BIPOC seniors are talking loudly while reading the newspapers. A white patron complains to staff at the Information Desk and says, “These people should be taught how to behave in Canada.”
(Groups 5 & 7)A patron complains about rainbow stickers around the library, or the Pride display, and says, “I didn’t know the Library supported this kind of garbage.”
(Groups 6 & 8) There’s a sign up on the wall in the library that states that people of all races are welcome in the building. You notice that a white patron comes in, reads the sign, and goes to your colleague and asks, “If you’ve got this poster up, why don’t you also have a poster saying that white people are welcome here?” Their tone is accusatory.