Ulster County Bystanders Against Sexual Assault (UCBASA)

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Ulster County Bystanders Against Sexual Assault (UCBASA) does not look to traditional victim centered approaches of sexual assault prevention which often places the burden on the victim and leads to victim- blaming. We take a community minded approach, saying we all have a stake in keeping our community safe. We look to the bystander. This is not a new concept but our program takes a unique spin on a proven method of prevention. Recognizing the correlation between bar/club nightlife and the increased risk of sexual assault, we created this program bringing bar staff together in a dialogue with their peers from other establishments where we teach and learn from each other. This is an interactive program that treats bar staff as experts in their field, while trainers bring deeper understanding of sexual assault, offender behavior and intervention strategies. UCBASA teaches bar employees about consent, sex offender behavior, and ways to interrupt situations that can lead to sexual assault using intervention strategies in safe and appropriate ways. We look at how offenders utilize their power and control to target, isolate and incapacitate their victims. We examine the role alcohol can have in sexual assault, not just pertaining to victims but how does it affect offender behaviors as well. This strategy is different from other programs in the nation as it focuses on identifying offender behavior. All outcomes have been positive. We have trained 5 bars, a total of 43 staff, we have more spring trainings set up for new hires in New Paltz and we are getting ready to launch the program in Kingston, NY in April.