Genk (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Herman Simons, the 1000th participant in Genk’s bystander training, received flowers from Alderman Harun Solak. Trainer Koen Grauls teaches 5 intervention methods. Over 1,000 people have been trained since 2022.
Herman Simons, a volunteer at C-mine in Genk, was surprised to be recognized as the 1000th person to take part in the city’s bystander training program. He was taking the training with other volunteers, not knowing it was a special occasion. To celebrate, Harun Solak, the alderman for Integration in Genk, gave Herman a bouquet.
Herman hasn’t experienced any inappropriate behavior himself, but he knows that volunteers in public places might face these situations. He thinks it’s important to be prepared and know how to react.
Herman said,
“I think it is important to know how to deal with this best.”
How is Genk training 1000 bystanders to tackle misconduct?
The city of Genk thinks it’s really important to have bystander training to help stop bad behavior in public places. Harun Solak, the alderman for Coexistence, says that bad behavior can’t be ignored, and people need to know how to handle it properly. Numbers from 2023 show that 75% of people who took the bystander training felt confident enough to step in if they saw bad behavior.
The city council is satisfied with these findings and will continue to provide the training. Authorities said that the aim is to equip individuals with the information and confidence to intervene when they observe issues, and this will promote a culture of respect where people respect one another and are accountable.
According to Koen Grauls, who runs the training program in Genk, a lot of people are hesitant to stop bad behavior because they don’t know how to do it right. The training makes individuals realize why they may be afraid and provides them with 5 ways to act.
These are speaking directly to the individual engaging in the bad thing, getting other people involved, being close by to support, distracting the individual to calm the situation, and reporting the incident if necessary.
By providing people with these everyday instruments, the course ensures that ever more people believe they can defend themselves against this behaviour. If they would like to participate in the training, then they can enrol on the Genk city site.
Genk started a bystander training program at the end of 2022, making it the first city in Limburg to offer this kind of training. The program is run with the Agency for Integration and Civic Participation. The training teaches people how to recognize bad behavior, understand why people don’t always step in, and feel confident about taking action.
More than 1,000 people in Genk have taken the training in the past 3 years. By teaching people how to handle difficult situations, Genk hopes to create a culture where everyone feels comfortable stepping in and helping others.
