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) A newcomer student shares a story in class about why they came to live in Canada. One of their classmates talks about the anti-homosexuality legislation in his country of origin. A classmate interrupts and says, “You don’t look gay.”
(Group 2) There is a group of students practising rugby on the field. Their coaches are leading the students through some drills. As you walk by, you overhear one of the coaches emphatically saying, “Is that the best you can do? You run like a bunch of girls”. The coach notices you passing by and says, “Just kidding. My daughters can run faster than all of you.”
(Group 3) At the start of Pride Week, parents of a student insist on meeting with a teacher. They request to have their son excused from activities associated with Pride Week, explaining they are concerned that the message of Pride would be explicitly sexual and graphic, and claim this does not align with their religious beliefs. They share that they were refugees who experienced persecution for their faith identity. They are now concerned that their son might be discriminated against, stigmatized or looked down upon if he does not participate in Pride Week activities. The Head of Grade tries to remind the parents of the school’s values and provide some clarity of what the “activities” will be. It is unclear if the parents are convinced.
(Group 4) A science teacher has added Indigenous content to their curriculum, and begins their new unit with a factual overview of the history of residential schools in Canada. The teacher explains the impact of intergenerational trauma (on Indigenous communities) since the system began. The students don’t appear interested in learning about the events, and instead push back with Google searches about “how many tax handouts” Indigenous Peoples receive. The teacher is clearly affected by the negative (and somewhat racist) commentary about Indigenous Peoples being expressed by the students.
SET #2
How do you feel in the moment? What emotions does the scenario trigger?
How might you be an active bystander in that moment?
(Group 1) During a weekly staff meeting, an announcement is made to faculty highlighting the plans for the upcoming Pride Week. A teacher groans, and complains, “Why do we even do this each year?” Another teacher attempts to explain the importance of the celebration for local LGBTQ2S+ communities and the significance for students, faculty and staff who might identify as LGBTQ2S+. The teacher who made the original comment responds in saying, "Oh, I get it. I am an ally. I have lots of lesbian and gay friends".
(Group 2) A student visits you to discuss his concerns about one of his classes. He explains that during a lecture, his instructor told the class that when giving presentations to “Orientals”, students should use a different approach. The instructor said that “Orientals” are submissive and cannot be expected to respond to comments made in a presentation. The student tells you that he would like out of the class.
(Group 3) You overhear a senior member of the staff giving direction to one of the administrative support staff, saying in a sharp and direct tone, “Photocopy this for me and make twenty copies.” The administrative support staff is female identifying and you notice her discomfort in her facial expression, but it is unclear if the senior staff has seen it.
(Group 4) An Indigenous student has come to see the school’s nurse about an undisclosed issue. An administrative assistant begins asking questions to gather information for a file. They get no response. They quickly move to the next question and again there is no response. This is repeated several times before the assistant writes “non-compliant” on the file and exclaims, “Why do these people even bother coming in?”