Gloucestershire-based charity the Hollie Gazzard Trust is proud to announce the UK’s first Active Bystander Conference at Hartpury University in July.
In 2014, Hollie Gazzard’s life was tragically taken by her ex-boyfriend at her workplace in Gloucester. In response, her family founded the Hollie Gazzard Trust to honour her memory and prevent future tragedies. This year, they commemorate the 10th anniversary of her passing.
Since that time, the Hollie Gazzard Trust has achieved remarkable milestones to help ensure others do not endure similar experiences. They launched the groundbreaking Hollie Guard app in 2015, recognised for its innovative safety features like discreet alerts and video evidence collection. The app has gained over 500,000 users nationwide, playing a crucial role in police investigations and even providing vital evidence in obtaining recent convections.
The Trust has also forged partnerships with nine police forces, advocated for changes in stalking laws, and produced documentaries to raise awareness of domestic abuse. Moreover, they’ve expanded their reach through educational programs in schools, training over 15,000 individuals to recognize and prevent abuse.
An investigation by UN Women UK (2022) found that 97% of women aged 18-24 had been sexually harassed, with 96% not reporting these situations due to the belief that it would not change anything.
The Active Bystander Conference is the first to be held in the UK, and will bring together up to 100 attendees to discuss the empowerment and positive transformation that an Active Bystander programme can bring about.
Participants will have the opportunity to hear from leading industry and academic experts, encouraging a culture of intervention and support, and equipping individuals from all walks of life with the tools to stand up against harassment, abuse, and violence.
What is an Active Bystander?
Every day, events unfold around us, making us all bystanders. Sometimes, these events may make us uncomfortable as we witness discrimination, harassment, or bullying. In such situations, we can choose to intervene and become active bystanders, or we can remain passive.
Witnessing bullying at school or work, experiencing harassment in public, observing discrimination, noticing domestic abuse, and seeing unsafe situations at gatherings or parties are all instances where you can be an active bystander.
When we intervene, we signal to the perpetrator and any observers that their actions are unacceptable. Constant reinforcement of these messages within our communities can shift the boundaries of what is considered acceptable behaviour.
Nick Gazzard, founder of the Hollie Gazzard Trust said “As a Trust, we want to encourage as many individuals as possible to be aware of what an active bystander is and how powerful they can be in a variety of situations to help intervene in a safe manner, making our communities safer environments for us all to live in.
“The conference is an ideal opportunity for individuals to find out more about being an active bystander from a variety of expert speakers in this field.”
The conference will involve academic experts, education and business leaders, providing an environment for focused discussion on how to intervene safely in potentially harmful situations and highlighting the empowerment that an Active Bystander can bring.
The conference will explore the concept of bystanders, including their various types and how we can intervene to prevent or address events as they unfold. It delves into the four stages of intervention, shedding light on the reasons why individuals sometimes refrain from intervening, drawing from social psychological theory and social norms theory.
Sponsors of the event include Fraser Allen Estate Management. Jodie Fraser, founder of Fraser Allen and Chair of Trustees of the Hollie Gazzard Trust said, “We are proud sponsors of this event not just because we work closely with the Trust, but because this event is crucial to the property management industry and beyond. It is important to me personally to shed light on what an Active Bystander is, so we can all feel safer in our day-to-day lives.”
Tickets for the conference taking place Wednesday July 10th 9:00am – 4:00pm at Hartpury University are priced at £50, which includes lunch and refreshments. Spaces are limited to 100 attendees.