Bystander Awareness: Sexual Violence Prevention Training - Online Classroom

This training is designed specifically for outdoor leaders. Through a trauma-informed and community-centered approach, we’ll explore how sexual harassment and violence can show up in outdoor spaces (with an emphasis on climbing)—from subtle boundary violations to more overt harm—and what we can do to prevent it.

Participants will learn how to:

• Recognize early warning signs of inappropriate or harmful behavior
  
  
• Intervene safely and effectively as active bystanders
  
  
• Support survivors and respond to disclosures with empathy
  
  
• Build a culture of respect, accountability, and consent both on and off the wall

Presenters

Jessica Cowles graduated in 2016 from Eastern Washington University with a BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She worked as a street outreach worker and case manager working with at-risk and homeless youth at Nexus Youth and Families for 2 and a half years. Jessica started at KCSARC as a legal advocate and specialized in work with commercially sexually exploited youth and in assisting victims with obtaining protection orders. She moved to the KCSARC prevention team in March of 2022. She was born and raised in Washington State, but her mother was born and raised in Hawaii and most of her family still resides there, and she has a black cat named Nani who is 10 years old.

Hannah Pepin joined the KCSARC prevention team in May of 2022. Previously, she worked as a mental health therapist seeing kids, adolescents, and adults at Salveo Counseling Center in Redmond. Hannah passed her clinical social work exam in 2024 and is a fully licensed independent clinical social worker. She moved to WA in 2021 after graduating from Boston College with an MSW in clinical mental health as well as a BA in Psychology and Gender and Women’s Studies from Connecticut College, where she began her work in sexual violence prevention as an intern in the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy. She loves coffee and spends most of her free time reading or walking her dog.

Chris Johnson began his career at KCSARC in 2002 as a prevention education specialist. In 2009 he left to attend graduate school at the University of Washington, earning a master’s degree in social work. Chris returned to KCSARC in 2016 as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and worked for five years as a trauma therapist, serving children and adult victims of sexual assault and abuse. In 2021, Chris became the director of prevention services and now manages the KCSARC prevention team and continues to engage communities in violence prevention. Chis is also a peer reviewer for the Journal of Trauma, Violence & Abuse. In addition to KCSARC, Chris has worked as a counselor at Youth Care, a clinical care consultant with the Alzheimer’s Association, a mental health clinician for Full Life Care and a social worker for Providence Hospice of Seattle.

Presenter Photos Courtesy of KCSARC

Lead Photo Credit Tatiana Van Campenhout

6:00-8:00pm PST via Zoom Meeting
Meeting link will be sent to registered attendees the day of the session.