You Can Make a Difference: Violence Prevention and Bystander Intervention

The Red Flag Campaign

The Red Flag Campaign is a public awareness campaign that addresses dating violence and sexual assault on college campuses. The campaign uses a positive strategy to help promote healthy relationships. That is, the focus is on bystander intervention. It encourages people to “say something” if they see “red flags” or warning signs of abuse, or sexual violence in friend’s relationships.

Many times people want to “stay out of it” or “ignore” abusive behavior. The University of Minnesota Morris wants people to stand up against all forms of violence.

The poster series features “Red Flags” with scenarios and issues that might be present in a relationship with dating violence. The themes include: coercion, emotional abuse, sexual assault, victim-blaming, excessive jealousy, isolation, and stalking. 

Red Flag Campaign Background

The Red Flag Campaign uses a bystander intervention strategy to address and prevent sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking on college campuses. The campaign encourages friends and other campus community members to say something when they see warning signs (“red flags”) for sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking in a friend’s relationship.

The Campaign is a project of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, and was created by college students, college personnel, and community victim advocates.

Learn more about the national campaign

Speak About It Flagship Show

Starting in the fall of 2021, Speak About It will be embedded into our First Year Experience course. Speak About It offers innovative, performance-based prevention education that aims to 1) promote healthy sexuality and relationships,  2) inform students about the realities of sexual assault, 3) provide tangible strategies for bystander intervention, and 4) connect audience members to campus and community resources relevant to sexual violence prevention, response, and education. The group is a nonprofit organization that partners with high schools and colleges and uses entertaining and educational performances and programs to empower students to prevent sexual violence, advocate for and practice healthy relationship habits, and create positive change within their communities.

Speak About It is a performance-based presentation about consent, boundaries, and healthy relationships intended for a mature high school or college audience. Using a combination of humorous yet provocative skits, interactive dialogue, and powerful monologues written by real college students, Speak About It covers a broad range of key topics in prevention education, including: consent, sexual assault, and bystander intervention.

Each of the educators in the five-person show undergoes sexual assault response training and speaks passionately,  onstage and off, about the importance of taking an active role in ending sexual violence. Speak About It is the wisdom of an array of mistakes, misfortunes, successes, and perspectives; a compilation of true stories that captures what healthy sex can and should look like, and how to spark dialogues about it.

Learn More

Online Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduates (SAPU)

Online SAPU Course 

UMN, Morris utilizes Vector Solution's SAPU, or Sexual assaualt prevention for undergraduate course. At the foundation of every positive student experience is a safe and healthy learning environment. Research shows that the most effective sexual assault prevention courses are based in bystander engagement and social norms strategies which are the foundations of our courses.
Vector Solutions’ sexual assault prevention training course complies with the Clery Act, the VAWA amendments to the Clery Act, and supports Title IX compliance.

Course topics

  • Sexual Harassment
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Sexual Assault
  • Bystander Intervention
  • Stalking
  • Consent
  • Healthy and Unhealthy Relationship
  • Reporting

This course is sent out every fall to all incoming students and it's completion is tracked and required.