Care Model

The CARE Model equips you with strategies for taking action. Depending on the situation at hand and your personal style for intervening, there is always an option for taking action while keeping yourself safe.

Here are some examples of ways to use the CARE Model to help others:

• Confront the Situation: Calling out a friend for a microaggression, “Hey, what you said was harmful because X”
• Alert Others: Talking to the party host about a student who passed out, “I’m worried about this person who passed out, can you check on them to see if they are alright?”
• Redirect Attention: Seeing an argument between a couple get heated and coming up with an excuse to separate them. “Hey! So and so is looking for you! Want to come with me and help find them together?”
• Engage After: Checking in on a peer who was harassed. “Hey, what they said was not cool. I wanted to reach out and see how you are feeling, how can I support you?”

Bystander Intervention Basics

Together we can prevent violence and harm by being active bystanders who care for one another. Being an active bystander means that you TAKE ACTION when you see a situation that could be potentially harmful. Every step counts no matter how small you think it is.

Here are the steps to safely intervening to help others:

• Recognize the Situation: Recognition is key. This requires prior awareness of social identities and microaggressions, what consent does and doesn’t look like, when someone has had too much to drink, signs that someone is experiencing a decline in their mental health, and other important information we go over in each of our workshops.
• Decide to Take Action: Most likely, other witnesses may not have the tools to intervene or are worried to do so. Taking action takes a lot of courage and can empower others to help! Ask yourself: if not me, then who?
• Intervene Effectively and Follow up Appropriately: Choose one of the CARE intervention tools that work best for the situation and keep in mind that your safety is your top priority. If possible, check-in with the affected people after and share resources and options with them.

Meet the Staff

Bears that CARE is a program of the Office of the Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs. In addition to working closely with partners across campus, BTC has a dedicated team of peer educators. Get to know more about the staff by reading their bios below.

Student Staff Coordinator: Riley Dison (she/her)

4th year Political Science major

Riley joined BTC because she is passionate about harm reduction and violence prevention and the impact of peer education and intervention. She cares deeply about providing Cal students the space to begin conversations on violence prevention in the context of consent, alcohol safety, mental health, and social identities, as well as the tools necessary to expand their perspectives and identify solutions. Riley hopes to pursue a career in public policy, and has found BTC to be a great contribution to her education. Outside of Bears that CARE, Riley is an intern for political educational nonprofit Free the Facts, on the Executive Board of her sorority, a legislative director in the ASUC, and the co-president of UC Berkeley's olympic lifting club. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, and going to the gym.

Communications Coordinator: Alaina Adamos (she/her)

4th year Molecular Cellular Biology Neurobiology major

Alaina joined BTC because she wanted to become more involved in the UC Berkeley community. She loves what BTC stands for and BTC's mission to create a safer and more educated campus!

Outside of BTC Alaina enjoys curating Spotify playlists, playing the piano, and trying new cafes!

Communications Coordinator: Vicky Wu (she/her)

4th year Public Health major

Vicky joined BTC because she wanted to make a positive impact on campus by fostering a community of care and safety through education. She hopes to empower individuals in the community to take action when necessary.

Content Coordinator: Mariana Mier (she/her)

4th year Psychology major

Mariana wanted to join BTC because she feels like she is creating a positive change on campus. Educating others on how to be an active bystander so that we can prevent violence is something that Mariana is really passionate about, and BTC allows her to do that.

Content Coordinator: Sarah Peykar (she/her)

4th year Integrative Biology and Psychology major

Sarah joined Bears That Care because she is passionate about its mission in helping create a more supportive, inclusive community on campus. She values the importance of bystander intervention and violence prevention practices, and she enjoys being a part of a team that advocates for peer education. Outside of BTC, Sarah is the Director of the MEDLIFE DeCal, the Community Projects Delegate for Paper Crane at UC Berkeley, and she works as a neuropsychology undergraduate research assistant in the Building Blocks of Cognition Laboratory.

She aspires to pursue a career in medicine and is also currently an intern for the Stanford Center for Continuing Medical Education (CME) through Stanford Medicine where she works to help enhance the professional development of healthcare. During her free time, Sarah enjoys painting, running, and playing the violin!

Outreach Coordinator: Alina Huang (she/her)

4th year Public Health major

Alina wanted to join BTC because she really liked the message BTC stands for and she wanted to be a part of the solution.  She wanted to continue her advocacy work at BTC because she believes that educating others and herself about violence prevention is essential to creating a safer community.

Outside of BTC, she is also involved in the Field Study Internship and is a Medical Scribe.  Alina’s hobbies include baking, hiking, and thrifting!

Outreach Coordinator: Zaina Ghouri (she/her)

3rd year Cognitive Science and Molecular and Cell Biology major

Zaina wanted to join BTC because she wanted to give back to the community and to help contribute to creating a safer and more welcoming environment on campus!

Outside of BTC Zaina loves trying new foods, collecting cute stationary and listening to music 🙂

Workshop Coordinator: Sarangoo Otgonbaatar (she/her)

3rd year Genetics and Plant Biology major

 

Workshop Coordinator: William Huynh (he/him)

4th year Nutritional Sciences major

William wanted to join BTC because he thought it was a great way to educate others on important topics that he sees not being addressed too often in communities that Will is a part of. He also believe that everyone should be taught that we can all be active bystanders in our own ways!

Outside of BTC, William works as a physical therapy aide, coach for Cal Dragon Boat, and a tennis coach to kids with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Will enjoys exercising, hiking, paddling, thrifting, and eating food!