Taylor Robison, the Prevention & Education Coordinator for Hearts of Hope: Center for Sexual Trauma, stopped by First at Four. Hearts of Hope is the sexual assault service provider for Acadiana. They have received a rape prevention and education grant from the CDC and a part of this grant is to start a Safe Bars Coalition.
Taylor Robison, the Prevention & Education Coordinator for Hearts of Hope: Center for Sexual Trauma, stopped by First at Four. Hearts of Hope is the sexual assault service provider for Acadiana. They have received a rape prevention and education grant from the CDC and a part of this grant is to start a Safe Bars Coalition.Â
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Safe Bars'  mission is to create safe, equitable, and welcoming alcohol-serving hospitality spaces. They use active bystander intervention, de-escalation, and allyship strategies to empower the staff of bars, restaurants, hotels, breweries, distilleries, clubs, event venues, suppliers, distributors, and brands to stop sexual aggression and other forms of violence in their work environments.
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This coalition would be the first Safe Bars Coalition in Louisiana. I am planning on having Safe Bars put on a virtual Train the Trainers Active Bystander Training. The training would be three days long and is free to attend, the grant pays for the training. The first day of the training would be 6.5 hours and the last two days would be 4.5 hours. I do not have a date for the training as of now, as I am still in the stage of trying to recruit bars and restaurants who would like to be a part of our train the trainer program. You may be wondering how this could benefit bars and restaurants in Acadiana to be a part of the coalition and below are a few reasons.
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Safe Bars works to 1. Increase staff understanding of the scope and causes of unwanted sexual aggression; 2. Increase staff recognition of problematic behavior along the continuum of sexual and relationship violence; 3. Provide staff with the skills to respond to such behaviors safely and appropriately, whether by intervening in the moment, or when asked for help; 4. Actively promote establishments that adopt safety standards.Organizations and establishments trained by Safe Bars reap many benefits including 1.They demonstrate to their guests their commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment. 2. They demonstrate to their staff (and potential staff) that they value their safety, comfort, and respect in the workplace. 3. Their staff have a greater range of strategies to use in addressing unwanted sexual aggression. 3. Guests who have positive experiences are more likely to return and to tell their friends.4, Staff are happier and less likely to leave. 4. Safe Bars actively promotes bars that have gone through the training. 5. Safe Bars-trained bars receive a window decal for display. 6. It helps staff learn how to be effective de-escalators and prevent situations from getting out of hand.
Email:Â taylor.robison@theheartsofhope.orgÂ
Phone Number:Â 337.345.5838
Website:Â www.theheartsofhope.org
