Facilitator Toolkit

GET STARTED – STEP UP STEP IN

Use the guidance throughout this website, as well as prepared resources available throughout, to bring Step Up Step In to your school/youth serving organization! Groups are encouraged to implement Step Up Step In however they feel will best motivate the youth and communities they serve. This section of the toolkit provides ideas and resources we anticipate you will utilize – although you and your participants will likely create other ideas.

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To get started, you need:

Support From Leadership

For a cultural shift to occur, Step Up Step In should be supported by top officials. Leadership/administrators are important allies to achieving change. Buy-in and support is very valuable. 

Adult

Appoint one adult to lead Step Up Step In. This person is in charge of leading the program but might want a small team of other adults to assist in delivering the program.

Youth Ambassadors

Culture will truly begin to change when youth see their peers participating in the positive behavior that Step Up Step In promotes. Take the program to an existing youth serving organization that is seeking an opportunity to make a difference. Or create a Step Up Step In Ambassador Team comprised of youth of various ages and walks of life to become the on-the-ground presence the campaign needs to succeed. 

 

Implementation Announcements

After deciding to implement Step Up Step In, you may want to use the following announcements/documents to make your team/colleagues aware of the campaign and to gain support for the project.

Internal Implementation Announcement

  • Sending an email to teachers, colleagues and staff from a leadership/administrator announcing the decision to become a Step Up Step In school/organization can generate interest and excitement.
  • Providing an FAQ that answers preliminary questions about the campaign.
  • Including a single point of contact (likely your Step Up Step In Ambassador) makes it easy for anyone to ask questions.
  • Addressing the school’s/organization’s participation in an open meeting format, such as a staff meeting, allows for two-way communication about the campaign.

External Implementation Announcement

  • Sending an email from a leadership/administrator announcing the decision to become a Step Up Step In participating school/organization helps adults understand the issue.
  • Providing an answers parents’ preliminary questions about the campaign.
  • Providing parents with a single point of contact (likely your Step Up Step In Ambassador) makes it easy for them to ask questions.
  • Posting the letter to parents on your website – including the FAQ and Step Up Step In logo can help answer questions and address any concerns.
  • Sending a press release to your local newspaper about your participation in the program lets the community know you are committed to this issue.
  • Posting social media announcements to your school’s/organization’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter reaches youth and the community.

A Note About Social Media

The assembly will kick off the campaign, and the pledge will help youth start thinking about sexual bullying – and what they need to do to stop it. But the work is not yet done.

A series of social media messages can help remind youth how to interact with each other, and what to do if they see or suspect sexual bullying is happening – or if it is happening to them.

In addition to educating students, social media can also reach and educate parents and other allies in your efforts to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual bullying. It also reaches a primary medium where sexual bullying occurs.

All messages are released over time and can be repurposed for other uses. 

Assembly & Rally

Set the stage for a school/organization that is free from sexual bullying! Assemble youth to arm them with the knowledge and skills they need to stop sexual bullying – and how to react if it happens to them or a friend or other youth.

A sample program agenda gives guidance on how you may want to structure your assembly – along with prepared speaker’s remarks and a customizable presentation – that will help you introduce Step Up Step In to your school/organization. You may also want to consider the following ideas:

  • Limit the program to one hour to maintain attention.
  • Ask administrators to participate to demonstrate support.
  • Include a main speaker who connects to youth and captures their attention – this may be a teacher, another professional within the school/organization, or an invited guest from the community.
  • Look for safe ways to begin a dialogue with youth,such as an anonymous Q&A where youth can submit written questions and the speaker answers those questions from the stage. Anonymity is key to encouraging youth participation.
  • Use age-appropriate popular music to open and close the assembly – to start and close the program on an energetic foot.
  • Ask team members to participate in a skit that shows youth how to stop sexual bullying. The content/message of the skit can be unique to the most common problems your school/organization faces.

Close the assembly with a Call to Action that encourages youth to sign a Step Up Step In Pledge, where they commit to stopping sexual bullying – and to helping others who are victimized by it. 

Message Placement

Placing prevention messages around the school/organization can help decrease sexual bullying. To help your school/organization take part in this effort, Step Up Step In provides a series of flyers that can be printed and hung in key places around your facilities.

The messages remind youth throughout the course of their days about the dangers of engaging in sexual bullying – and empowers them to help others who are victimized by it.

Data collected in Georgia found that sexual bullying occurs most frequently when students are congregated in small or large groups with minimal supervision. These findings backed up national research.

Consider hanging the Step Up Step In flyers in areas where youth are more likely to engage in the behavior – and likely to see the message when it matters most – such as:

  • Hallways
  • Cafeterias
  • Outdoor areas where youth congregate
  • Athletic facilities
  • Classrooms
  • Administrative offices
  • Lounge areas
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Youth Activity

Four to six weeks after the assembly, announce a Step Up Step In Youth Essay Contest that encourages youth to write down their changed views on sexual bullying. The Essay Contest will help you gauge what participants have learned through your initiatives – and to identify how youths’ perceptions, opinions, and behavior have changed.

To announce the contest, determine through what channel it would best be communicated to students – e.g. in homeroom, in a specialized class, to specialized grade levels, group meetings/events.

Then provide written Contest Overview and Essay Guidelines – such as word counts (keep it short to maximize participation!) and general themes youth can utilize as starting points. Your customized materials should include deadline and submission requirements.

From there, allow ample time (three to four weeks) for youth to put their thoughts onto paper. Remind them during the development period about the contest and encourage participation. Social media can also be utilized to communicate the initiative to youth and other audiences. Be sure to offer a prize, which could be anything from gift cards to local restaurants and movie theaters to  items with school or organizations logos.

Once essays are collected, a judging panel – which could include teachers, administrators, leadership, parents, and other supporters – reviews entries and selects first-, second-, and third-place winners.