Athletics to Roll Out Green Dot Initiative
October 17, 2014 12:47 PM | General
“Our current focus is to unite and collaboratively work with the outstanding resources here at WVU. The unity, availability and education of these resources will not only optimize our student-athletes on game day, but help prepare them for life beyond collegiate athletics,” said Associate Athletic Director for Sports Performance Joe Heskett. “We are about building a long-term and sustainable leadership and life skill development model.”
This Sunday, the WVU baseball team will begin its fall schedule with a game against Marshall. First pitch at Hawley Field is noon and both teams will be playing to raise awareness for the Green Dot initiative. The game will be played with green dots on the baseball.
“It’s going to be exciting to play against a different team, especially an in-state opponent,” coach Randy Mazey said. “It’s going to be more of a friendly competition because we’re doing it to promote awareness of a great cause.”
The Green Dot strategy is a comprehensive approach to violence prevention that capitalizes on the power of peer and cultural influence across all levels of the socio-ecological model. The model targets all community members as potential bystanders, and seeks to engage them, through awareness, education, and skills-practice, in proactive behaviors that establish intolerance of violence as the norm, as well as reactive interventions in high-risk situations – resulting in the ultimate reduction of violence.
With the national state of athletics under a hot lamp when it comes to violence and sexual assault, WVU wants to be proactive in making our student-athletes, as well as the general public, aware of the risks and dangers.
“We look forward to engaging our student-athletes in a basic education program that will equip them to integrate moments of prevention within existing relationships and daily activities,” said Director of WELLWVU Colleen Harshbarger.
Conceptually, Green Dot comprises three basic components:
- A single choice in one moment in time to use your voice, actions or choices to make one small corner of the world safer.
- A shared vision that creates momentum through the power of a common language and purpose.
- A social movement that harnesses the power of peer influence and individual bystander choices to create lasting culture change resulting in the ultimate reduction of power-based personal violence.
For more information visit LiveTheGreenDot.com or WELL.WVU.com/wellness/livewell/greendot.
