Harassment Prevention Training…A Unique Approach to a Challenging Topic
Location: Landsman Development Corporation
3 Townline Circle, Rochester 14623
Registration & Networking: 7:30am -8:00am
Program: 8:00am - 10:00am
Presented by Allison Roberts & Jodi Beckwith, Impact Interactive LLC
This program
has been pre-approved by the Society for Human Resource Management for 1.5
Professional Development Credits (PDCs) and 1.5 HR (General) recertification
credits by the HR Certification Institute.
While the #Me Too movement has put sexual harassment at the forefront of our national dialogue, organizations across the country are still struggling with “what to do about it.” Typical corporate sexual harassment training, which uses PowerPoint, checkboxes and lectures to teach about policies and procedures, is clearly not effective. Real institutional change requires innovative training - training that helps organizations get to the root of the problem: the harmful attitudes, values and behaviors that allow workplace harassment to continue and flourish.
This interactive workshop demonstrates how theatre-based techniques can be used to stimulate the kind of dialogue and collaborative problem solving that can lead to lasting organizational change. Participants will engage in activities and watch a short, scripted scene where a young woman must make decisions about how to handle herself in a hostile work environment. When the tensions heighten, the scene will freeze, and participants will be invited to interact with the characters to learn more about their thoughts, feelings and motivations. Together, the group will examine their own attitudes and values, identify harassing behaviors, discuss the effects of sexual harassment on individuals and on the organization as a whole, and brainstorm skills and strategies for creating a more inclusive and productive work environment.
By the end of this session, participants will:
● Understand how theatre-based techniques can be used to teach and train
● Understand the harmful attitudes, values, and behaviors that contribute to a culture that allows harassment to flourish
● Understand how sexual harassment affects victims, harassers, other employees and the organization as a whole
● Identify strategies for creating a more inclusive and productive workplace environment
About our Speakers:
Allison Roberts has 15 years of experience working as a trainer, teaching artist, performance educator, and co-facilitator, covering topics such as cultural competency, sexual harassment, and communication skill building for both corporate clients and not-for-profit organizations. Past clients include, but are not limited to: Xerox, Kodak, Honda, Harris RF, and the University of Rochester Medical School, where she uses interactive drama to train medical students through the Office of Experiential Learning. As a teaching artist, Allison has worked for several not-for-profit organizations, including RASA (Rochester After School Academy), Artworks, and ArtPeace, teaching visual arts, improv, acting, and job readiness skills to at-risk youth and students with special needs. Allison is also an accomplished actor, visual artist and writer. She performs in local theater productions, short films and commercials, and is the founder, producer and a script-writer for the popular comedy troupe, EstroFest, which has been running in Rochester for over 15 years. EstroFest has also performed in NYC and Toronto. Allison has performed in, written scripts for, and directed educational theatre pieces at the Rochester Museum and Science Center and at The Strong Museum. Her visual art works include murals, community art, illustration, painting and jewelry making. She is also a set painter, illustrator and a prop master for both EstroFest and TYKES Children’s Theatre. Her writing has been published in City Newspaper, Democrat & Chronicle and Rochester Magazine. She has a BS in Art and English, with a minor in writing, from Nazareth College of Rochester.
Jodi Beckwith is an experienced educator, actor, director and facilitator, who has been designing and implementing programs that use interactive theatre to teach and train for over 20 years. She has provided professional development, conducted residencies, and trained professionals in the fields of education, medicine, and law enforcement. As a teaching artist, Jodi worked with Rochester Children’s Theatre, Young Audiences of Rochester, Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts, and the Rochester City School District, conducting workshops for teachers on arts integration, and developing and implementing curricula that use interactive drama to teach literacy skills. She facilitated parent-teacher communication training with pre-service teachers at the University of Rochester Warner School of Education, and collaborated with Lead Teachers at the Rochester City School District to develop workshops on conflict resolution and communication skills for union representatives and professional teacher mentors. In 1996, Jodi created the Education Through Drama Program (ETD) at Planned Parenthood of Rochester, NY. This program featured a teen theatre troupe which used interactive theatre to help young people problem-solve around issues such as sexual harassment, teen pregnancy, peer pressure, date rape, homophobia, sexual decision-making, and dating violence. ETD also trained health professionals on how to use interactive drama as an educational tool. Jodi directed ETD for 4 years, and then spent a year as the Assistant Education Director and a company member at Ardeo Theatre Project in St. Poitiers, France. As a performance educator, Jodi uses interactive drama to train medical students at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and to train law enforcement officers and social workers in Forensic Interviewing Best Practices with the New York State Child Advocacy Consultation and Resource Center. Jodi performs in commercials, videos, and on many Rochester stages, including JCC CenterStage, Blackfriars Theater, Rochester Children’s Theatre, Shipping Dock Theater, The Downstairs Cabaret, TYKEs, and at The Strong Museum. Jodi has a BS in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University, and an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU.