When you step onto Kalamazoo College Campus, you are surrounded with green ribbons tied around trees, and lamp posts...but why?

Kalamazoo College is a private college that was founded in 1833. K is among on of 100 oldest colleges in the United States, but they one of the firsts College Campuses to utilize the 'Green Dot' initiative.

The 'Green Dot' initiative is explained as...

 The  Green Dot program was conceived in the college setting to prevent dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking. It relies on the premise that if everyone does their small part and commits to individual responsibility, the combined effect is a safe campus culture that is intolerant of violence.

So when you walk through campus what do the green ribbons mean? The green ribbon signifies an area where a student was in harms way, but a bystander stepped in and stopped an awful situation from occurring.

These 'bystanders' are trained fellow students and staff at the University that are trained to safely interrupt, or prevent behaviors associated with dating violence, stalking and sexual assault.

The students and staff that take on the roll of a 'bystander', are trained through the Green Dot College Curriculum. K College has 24 for students that are involved in the 'Green Dot' program and are considered "indispensable" to the success of the program. Just look around campus, see all the green ribbons and know they are making a HUGE difference in Campus life!

Additional students will have the chance to be trained as a bystander in the months to come. Kalamazoo College stated...

Together, enough Green Dots can change “worlds,” small and large. And one of those worlds will be Kalamazoo College.

Every world should be like K College! What a wonderful program, that will save lives and people's spirits!

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