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Personal Project, written by Moira Schirk - Summer 2026 Intern Coming into college, I wanted to raise awareness on childhood sexual grooming, specifically for K-12 educators and administrators. This passion stemmed from educators and administrators in my school district who provided inadequate support for students. School administration was mandated to report concerns of CSA; however, if the student or educator was courageous enough to report, they would not receive sufficien

Music has a way of putting words to what we feel, reminding us what we believe, and moving us toward action. Sometimes a song can give us the courage to speak up, remind us that we are not alone, or help us imagine a different way forward. In the spirit of active bystandership, our interns and staff have gathered songs that inspire us to notice what's happening around us, stay connected to our values, and remember that we all have a role to play. Scan this code on Spotify to

The Northwestern District Attorney, in collaboration with Gathering Currents, held a Youth Conference for school students on October 26, 2018. A key part of the conference was the Training Active Bystanders curriculum. The trainers were students from the Athol, Mahar, Pioneer Valley Regional, and Granby High Schools. See how Channel 22 in Springfield covered the event!

This list was produced by participants in the Hopkins Academy Training for Trainers Eat lunch with somebody new to the school Use judgment to de-escalate Use humor Use your moral courage Smile Use distraction Use kind body language Recruit allies Use a confident tone Don't be complicit Speak up Break "the mask" Ask questions Observe from another person's perspective Empathize with the target Empower the target Understand the consequences Don't be a harm doer Give out hugs Inc

TAB Coordinator Beryl Domingo talked with Ruth Terry of The New York Times about how to be an active bystander when you see casual racism. This article appeared in the October 29th, 2020 edition of the Times. (Please note: NYT links often require a subscription.)

Written by Sofia Martinez, Summer 2026 Intern. Edited by Lilly Fellows, Co-Executive Director. Childhood is an extremely important foundation for the development of the self. Children are like sponges: able to absorb and adapt to their environment. Childhood is universally unique and equally as disproportionate. Aspects of a child’s environment can influence their sense of safety, stability, and security while also making them more vulnerable to traumatic experiences. Trauma

Staying safe while stepping in Written by Lilly Fellows, Co-Executive Director of Gathering Currents Why Danger Matters in Bystandership One of the most common questions we hear in our Training Active Bystanders (TAB) workshop is “What if it’s not safe?” Danger has always been a real part of bystandership, and pretending otherwise does more harm than good. The consequences of stepping in are not always clear, predictable, or fair. In some moments, intervening can put a bystan

Written by a Gathering Currents 2025-2026 Intern. Edited by Co-Executive Director Lilly Fellows. All humans are born with the capacity for empathy and begin to demonstrate it at about 18 months of age. The ability to understand and respond to other people’s emotions is essential to the health of our social networks. Even other species have demonstrated sensitivity to the emotions of their peers. For example, elephants have been known to sacrifice themselves for the safety of

Written by a Gathering Currents 2025-2026 Intern. Edited by Co-Executive Director Lilly Fellows. Street harassment is any public unwanted behavior that harms another person. Stop Street Harassment (2015) defines it as: “...unwanted whistling, leering, sexist, homophobic or transphobic slurs, persistent requests for someone’s name, number or destination after they’ve said no, sexual names, comments and demands, following, flashing, public masturbation, groping, sexual assault,

Written by a Gathering Currents intern, edited by Co-Executive Director Lilly Fellows. Too often, targets seek support only to be met with judgment, criticism, and harassment for their own experience of harm. This is known as victim-blaming. Statements such as: “Are you sure you said no?” and “What were you wearing?” add more harm to the target. Studies show that these responses stem from our innate belief in a just world. People view the world as a fair place where we get wh

How to break group inhibitors during emergency situations. Written by a Gathering Currents intern, edited by Co-Executive Director Lilly Fellows. Through TAB trainings, we know that people face many barriers to intervention when problems arise. We call these barriers the inhibitors. In this blog, we will focus on "Who Me?" Also known as the Bystander Effect. Research has found that we are less likely to provide or receive help in group settings. In other words, it seems that

Written by Sofia Martinez, Summer 2026 Intern. Edited by Co-Executive Director Lilly Fellows. Consent is a word used in many different situations. It is a concept that should be understood across ages and can be taught at any point in the lifespan. Consent is a recurring conversation. It is a form of effective communication that can strengthen future relationships and protect you and others from miscommunication and, sometimes, even harm. Consent is defined by boundaries. The

Written by a Gathering Currents intern, edited by Co-Executive Director Lilly Fellows. Recent trends in New York City subway violence indicate that there has been a slight decrease in general violence on the subway, with fewer robberies and murders reported at the beginning of 2025 compared to the same time period in previous years (amNY). Even as more New York City commuters have been funneled into the subway system following the implementation of higher vehicle tolls on Jan