Community groups

Many people underestimate the power of community action. Community organisers and community groups can have significant impact because they understand – and are part of – the communities they serve.

Welcome

This page provides an overview of what’s available at the community level, including ways you can use ThisHasToSTOP Toolkit to create lasting change in your community.

What do you want to do?

  • We can all play a role in making our communities safer for women and girls. As a community group, you can make a real difference given your understanding of the local context, and the relationships you have established within your area of work.

    Using ThisHasToSTOP resources, you can help the people around you learn about tackling disrespectful behaviours, being an active bystander and advocating for the rights of women and girls.

    Depending on your context, we have a wealth of downloadable resources for you to choose from that you can mix and match in the way that works best for you and your organisation.

    Some things you can do include:

    • Running a Step In Active Bystander workshop to train local people, including men and boys, to know how to step in safely when they see someone being harassed.

    • Making local head teachers and council education departments aware of Step In for Schools which includes – a comprehensive spiral curriculum for years 6, 7, 8 and 9, which includes issues such as misogyny, respect, identifying online harms and building healthy relationships.

    • Writing to your local councillor or mayor asking them to run a ThisHasToSTOP programme in your area. Suggest they look at the content designed specifically for Councils.

  • The comprehensive ThisHasToSTOP programme is most effective when delivered at the Council level. Speak to or write to your local councillor or mayor asking them to run a ThisHasToSTOP programme in your area. Suggest they look at the content designed specifically for Councils.

  • Step In - Bystander training includes an easy to run 30 minute workshop that gives participants a tried and tested way to step in safely when they see someone being harassed.

    There are loads of extras to access too, including a printable enamel pin badge, a poster, a digital poster and Three ways to Step In memory card for your wallet.

    Step In - Bystander training >

  • Step In for Schools can have a transformative effect on young people’s understanding of misogyny and relationships. It includes a full spiral curriculum for:

    • Primary (Year 6)

    • Transition to Secondary

    • Secondary (Years 7-9).

    Consider speaking to local Head teachers, writing to your Councillors and local MP and share this Toolkit with them.

    Step In for Schools >

  • Sexist violence isn’t a women’s issue and as the primary perpetrators, it's vital that men should be involved in supporting change. Men can also be powerful allies and influencers, calling out sexist behaviour and challenging other men to reject sexist behaviours.

    Read more about involving men >

Why community action can make a big difference to women’s safety

Harassment and violence against women and girls is a community issue. Too often, disrespect towards women and girls is treated as normal, a part of everyday life - but it is deeply harmful, eroding trust between neighbours, making people feel unsafe in the place they call home, and harming the community as a whole.

The good news is that it’s at the community level where we can make a significant difference. Our communities are the places where social norms are set. We decide together how we treat one another and what we will and won't accept. These norms shift from the ground up: the more we see people around us - especially people we trust - acting with respect and stepping in when something's wrong, the more likely we all are to do the same.

You can make a difference

This is where you come in. As a community organiser, you already know your community well. Whether your interest is in sports, faith, arts, parents, older people, young people, or many other things, you have real relationships with the people around you. That puts you in a trusted position - and trusted voices are far more likely to be listened to.

Your relationship with your community also gives you an understanding of how people locally view this issue, and what might be the most effective way to talk about it. Change starts small. Just one person calling out disrespectful behaviour, or choosing kindness when others might not, can make a real difference. Community leaders and trusted members of the community can show the way, by calling out disrespectful behaviour and questioning sexist attitudes. These actions support lasting change by helping to shift the social norms that govern our day-to-day lives and make something like misogyny feel like ‘part of life’.

You’re the expert

Since you’re the expert on your community - that is why we have created resources designed to be adapted to your context, and to slot straight into what you're already doing. Some resources, like Step In cards or table talkers, can be handed out or displayed with no preparation at all. Others, like our bystander workshop, offer a more interactive, hands-on session. Mix and match whichever combination works best for the people you support - and share them with those who you think might benefit. Explore the toolkit and find what works for your community.