"Be a WIThero" is a social marketing intervention designed to encourage bystander intervention
among undergraduate male students at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Overview:
Sexual assault is a serious issue at every institution of higher education. Bystander intervention education is recommended by Title IX and the American College Health Association as an effective form of primary prevention. “Be a WIThero” is an original bystander education program that acknowledges and responds directly to the concerns, anxieties, and hopes of male Wentworth students regarding sexual assault prevention. The goal of this program is to empower male students to create a safer, healthier, and more supportive campus environment. By changing campus culture, “Be a WIThero” ultimately aims to reduce rates of sexual assault and increase rates of reporting at Wentworth.
Visit the website: http://wit.edu/WIThero
Visit the website: http://wit.edu/WIThero
Program Design:
“Be a WIThero” integrates bystander intervention training, peer education, speakers and events, with consistent campus- and web-based media messaging. During the fall semester, the “Be a WIThero” campaign raises awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault and dispels rape myths on campus. In the spring semester, the “Be a WIThero” campaign shifts focus to bystander intervention skills training, offering a number of training workshops and other participatory opportunities for students. The WIThero Workshop trainings are based on materials from the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. Students who participate in a WIThero Workshop will receive a free WIThero t-shirt. The program is being piloted with 300 student athletes and a random sample of 100 other students and vigorously evaluated using pre-test and post-test assessments.
Myth vs. Fact Poster Campaign
Social Norms Posters
Infographics:
Credit goes to:
"Be a WIThero" was designed with the help of Health Communication Graduate Consultant Jie Yang. The website, logo, myth vs. fact posters, infographics, and some advertisements were designed by Aaron Bacon of AB Communications + Design.
