Being an Active Bystander means choosing to speak up or take action when you witness discrimination or harassment. By intervening, you send a clear message that such behaviour is unacceptable and support a culture of respect and inclusion. When individuals and organisations take an active stance against discrimination, sports clubs and community groups can create environments where everyone feels safe, welcome, valued, and included.
Active bystanders can help in many ways, from directly addressing the behaviour to seeking support from others or reporting the incident. Even small actions, like showing support to the person affected or calmly challenging inappropriate comments, can make a big difference.
Being an active bystander is not just about confronting harmful behaviour – it’s also about fostering a culture where respect and inclusivity are the norm. Together, we can reduce the impact of discrimination and create communities where everyone can participate without fear.
The Yorkshire and Humber Anti-Racism in Sport Group have collaborated with Buddle to produce a new Active Bystander video. This video showcases real-life experiences and offers practical guidance on responding to discrimination. It also showcases the 5 D’s toolkit – a simple, practical approach to intervening safely and effectively.
Direct: Address the behaviour straight away if it is safe to do so.
Distract: Use a diversion to interrupt the situation.
Delegate: Ask someone else to help or take action.
Delay: Check in with the person affected later.
Document: Record details of the incident to support further action.
Visit Buddle’s Tackling Discrimination page for more advice and tools.
Other support organisations:
NWG Safeguarding in Sport and Physical Activities hub – The NWG Network are committed to ensuring that both children and adults can enjoy and participate in sport and physical activities safe from harm, abuse, and exploitation. Including resources on Active Bystander.
Right to be – Further resources and training around Active Bystander.
To learn how the Active Sussex Sport Welfare Officers can support your organisation or to find out more about an our active bystander training, please contact: sportwelfare@activesussex.org