Workshop and student courses

General workshop and student course on domestic violence

Duration: 60-90 min

I. Preparation prior to the workshop or student course

Use of materials from the IMPRODOVA training platform: www.training.improdova.eu: Introduction – Domestic violence in the social sector

II. Workshop

Course content is based on a presentation and training materials

Workshop on stereotypes and unconscious biases

The workshop is based on the content and materials of Module 8.

I. Possible workshop concepts

  • Half-day (4h) or full-day workshop (6-8h) according to need and focus
  • Online or on-site workshops
  • Individual trainer or mixed-gender trainer tandem (depending on the size of the group)
  • Alternatively: Multi-level learning concept with short learning units with a mixture of learning content, videos, quizzes, and handouts for download
  • Learning units can be sent to participants during or after workshops (e.g., at weekly intervals) to support learning transfer in the long term

II. Target groups

  • Students
  • Professionals
  • Executives/Management
  • Educators/Trainers

III. Methods

  • Theoretical background
  • Discussions
  • Individual and group work
  • Case studies
  • Role plays
  • Hand-outs
  • (Online) Peer group meetings
  • Audio-visuals (e.g., videos, movies, blogs, cartoons)
  • Simulations

IV. Training materials

Literature

Videos

Role plays

Role play: Recognising personal bias in the context of domestic violence

For trainers:

  • Each participant should assume their assigned role: Jessica (friend 1) and Jennifer (friend 2).
  • Participants should remain in character and respond based on their assigned role’s perspective.
  • The role play should progress organically, with participants engaging in conversation and interactions based on the setting and scene provided.

What students should learn in this role play:

  • Participants should actively engage in self-reflection, recognising and addressing personal biases.
  • Participants should provide support and encourage each other to challenge their assumptions and biases.
  • This role play should teach participants to foster empathy, understanding, and personal growth in addressing domestic violence.

Variants: Repeat the role play again using different settings of victims and/or perpetrators. This time, the victim is Daniel, who has disclosed to his friend Jennifer about the domestic violence he is experiencing from his partner Rachel.

Roles:

1. Friend 1: Jessica

2. Friend 2: Jennifer

[3. Victim: Rachel]

Setting:

Rachel has disclosed to her friend Jennifer about the domestic violence she is experiencing. She told her that Daniel checks her messages on her mobile phone and that she should tell him every time she was out and tell him exactly what she did and which persons she had met. Lately, he had also began to criticise her more and more, whether she didn’t want to do more sports or why she is always so stupid about everything. She is not able to please him, even she tries really hard. This puts a lot of stress on her, and she no longer feels comfortable in the flat they share. Jennifer, concerned for Rachel’s well-being, decides to have a conversation with Jessica, a mutual friend who has known Rachel’s partner, Daniel, for a long time.

Scene:

Jennifer approaches Jessica during a casual gathering at a coffee shop.

Jessica: Hey, Jennifer! How’s it going?

Jennifer: Hey, Jessica. I wanted to talk to you about something serious. It’s about Rachel.

Jessica: Oh, is everything okay with her?

Jennifer: No, not really. Rachel recently told me about the situation with Daniel at home. She is getting really scared by his behaviour. I believe she is experiencing domestic violence. I wanted to discuss this with you because you’ve known Daniel for a long time.

Jessica: (taken aback) Domestic violence? Are you sure? Daniel doesn’t strike me as someone who would do that.

How could the conversation continue at this point?

Tasks for reflection

1. As Jessica, what biases or assumptions did you initially have about Rachel’s situation?
2. How did you feel when Jennifer shared the information about domestic violence?
3. How did your perspective change throughout the role play?
4. What specific biases did you become aware of, and how did you address them?
5. How can personal biases hinder our ability to recognise and address domestic violence?
6. How can you use the insights gained from this role play to better support victims of domestic violence in your personal and professional life?