Bystanders & Heroes

Bystanders & Heroes

This week we focus on that classic dichotomy of hero and bystander. A remembrance of a famous victim to bystanderism and a number of stories of people overcoming various bystander effects lead the email. Also, a reminder of our events in Paris this month.

Kitty Genovese

Almost 60 years ago--on March 13, 1964--the life of vibrant young Kitty Genovese ended suddenly on the streets of New York, in a way that demanded national attention. Two of our board members, Zoë Huml and Allison Evans, will be presenting at an online forum on March 9th between 1 and 4 ET. You can join in at https://fordham.zoom.us/j/89661143863.

Heroes in the News

"She’s done what most people wouldn’t do.” Lily Baker, 18, saved a woman in a wheelchair from getting hit by a train at a railroad crossing in Giles County with only seconds to spare. Baker was inches from being hit by the train herself. Later she said, "If I did die, I would have died trying to save somebody, so it would have been okay.” LINK

Knowledge is power. A hero-in-waiting was walking down the street in Boston and noticed someone running from a bank parking lot with red smoke emitting from her hooded sweatshirt pocket. Knowing that banks plant exploding red-dye packs in pouches to mark stolen cash was important for the “Notice a Need” requirement in heroic action. Without that knowledge, the observer wouldn’t not have run down the thief and apprehended her. LINK

"If you see someone in need, you should act immediately and not wait on others to react…" Jasmine and JaCora Morris, teenaged sisters, saw two boys, who were about 9 years old, had fallen through the ice on a retention pond at their apartment complex. They rushed to enter the water and saved both boys. They were recently awarded a Carnegie Medal from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. LINK

Hero Training

We are currently running a number of trainings to make bystanders more likely to act as heroes when needed.

• The Level 1 course, delivered asynchronously through videos, is always happening and you can sign up at any time.

• Level 2 is delivered weekly over six weeks in a Zoom meeting. This course is available only a couple of times per year and is happening this month - the third meeting is this week.

• Finally, we’re delivering an in-person training in Paris on the 23rd of March.

If you’re interested in participating in any of those, reply to this email. If you’d like a training at your location, we are always happy to create a solution.

The Rest…

I’m excited to spend some time face to face with the HIP family this month. The third HIP Summit is happening in Paris after the first events in Salerno and San Francisco. Nothing beats seeing real faces in the real world when working on the improvement of HIP and the world. I realise those seem like lofty goals, but I like building castles in the sky and then figuring out the foundations later. Thoreau would be proud.

Keep building your castles this week and reach out if any of them need some help from HIP.

Matt