Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Zero Tolerance campaign nominated for NUS Award
Student Services and the Students’ Union have been working in partnership to develop and further embed a culture of zero tolerance to sexual harassment and sexual violence across the university and in the wider community.
It has been an incredible year of achievement and progress on this campaign, which set out to create cultural change on campus via awareness raising, creating new reporting tools and training our staff and students on how to support those affected. The project was delivered in four stages: Respect, Pledge, Support, and Report. The first step was to establish a community of respect by developing an Active Bystander training programme. We now have a cohort of trained facilitators to deliver the training to staff and students as a way of empowering the community with the skills and awareness to safely intervene in situations involving sexual harassment or violence.
Over 1,000 staff, students and members of the community have taken the Zero Tolerance pledge which states: “I pledge to contribute to the creation of a Zero Tolerance culture to sexual harassment and violence.”
A range of awareness materials have been developed to inform students of the options available to them if they have been a victim of sexual harassment or violence.
The Zero Tolerance website launched in March, which continues to provide support and information for all students who have been affected by sexual harassment and violence.
A reporting incident feature allows students to report any incidents to the university which will then be used to provide further support and action to be taken to prevent further issues. Students also have the option to report anonymously.
Students were put at the heart of all this work, with a survey and a series of focus groups informing many of the priorities of the project, and shaping key elements of the awareness campaign such as the content of the videos produced as part of the Active Bystander campaign. Student facilitators will also be recruited to deliver the Active Bystander Training in the new academic year.
Visit the Zero Tolerance website for more information.