Unifor members share strategies to build empathy through bystander intervention

A group of Unifor members marked Human Rights Day 2020 with the first online bystander intervention training offered by the union.

The group training went beyond intervention in conflict, to craft a discussion about building more caring communities in the face of structural oppression and inequality.

Trainer Rajean Hoilett took the participants through real life scenarios and provided practical advice on how to not be a bystander to any injustices towards people, but instead to understand ones active role and place in their communities. 

The training began with an exercise guiding participants to not only acknowledge the lands we are on, but to dig deeper and set goals for understanding and acting in solidarity with diverse Indigenous communities. This workshop brought participants together to learn from their own experiences and the community around them.

“Human Rights Day often passes with a whisper, with a small personal commitment to fight for justice,” said Christine Maclin, Unifor Human Rights Director. “In this training, Unifor members came together to understand that only through our collective power, and the strength of our communities can we bring about the change that we so desperately need.”

The bystander intervention training will be offered again in February 2021.

Online education programs are free for all members to attend. The calendar of events is listed at onlineeducatioun.unifor.org.