The Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO) is launching the National Green Dot program to raise awareness during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The Green Dot program is a national initiative that was developed at the University of Kentucky.
"The Green Dot program focuses on violence prevention by capitalizing on peer and cultural influence," Connie Adams, director of BAVO, said.
The program uses red dots to symbolize situations where violence is present or tolerated.
The goal of the initiative is to turn everywhere there is a red dot into a green one, Adams said.
According to the University of Kentucky's Violence Intervention and Prevention Center, "Green dots are choices, behaviors and attitudes which promote a violence-free environment."
Throughout the fall, BAVO will be offering Green Dot training sessions. The first session is time is to be announced.
At the training sessions, students will learn about sexual assault, stalking and relationship violence.
"The training focuses on providing a range of techniques students can use to intervene as bystanders," Adams said.
According to Adams, students will also learn various ways to approach violence because individuals respond differently to violence.
"The Green Dot model emphasizes the importance of understanding personal boundaries and discovering intervention techniques which will be effective with individual limitations," she said.
Students interested in participating can visit the BAVO office, located in the basement of Holy Cross Hall or call 574-284-4018 for more information.
"While we cannot do everything, we can each do something," Adams said. "The Green Dot training helps participants to discover the potential things which can be done."
