Upstanders can actively change situations in motion and in effect – outcomes and lives.
The Stand Up Project (SUP) is a student leadership and empowerment program that reduces discrimination, harassment and bullying through student-designed and delivered Upstander Training. The program prioritises student voice, agency, and leadership.
Students learn about the bystander effect and the drivers and impacts of poor behaviour. They identify the most age-appropriate ways to support targets and address poor behaviours. Students then teach what they know to younger students, their teachers and families.
Our sessions are in-person and onsite and have been proven to have a meaningful impact on the lives of teachers, parents and students.
1 in 4 students in Australia experience discrimination, and 1 in 3 experience bullying.
Students are unlikely to stand up to poor behaviour because they feel a diminished sense of responsibility in a group setting. This is called the bystander effect.
If we don’t teach young people how to be upstanders, the rates of family violence, gender inequality and discrimination in Australia will continue to rise.
The bystander effect is troubling because often, it is not the incident of bullying itself that young people find the most traumatizing, but the lack of support they receive from their peers.
Upstanding is a proven technique of ensuring everyone accepts responsibility for poor behaviour.
Upstanding equips young people with the knowledge and skills to connect in ways that foster harmony, understanding and respect.
A Review of the Evidence in Educational Settings (2007–2018)