Ages 7-14 · Book 2, Belonging · 4,299 places
Upstander Training
Bystanders do nothing because they do not know what the something would be. This gives them one move, small enough to actually make.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Scary Playground — “Being brave means showing up anyway.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Open with the story, not the lesson — the lesson lands after
- Session 2
Small groups: where does this show up in our room, specifically
- Session 3
The adult goes first, with a real example that cost them something
- Session 4
Each child writes the one step they take before next week
- Session 5
Follow up by name the following week and ask what happened
Questions leaders ask
Is upstander training in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is belonging — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 7-14. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
How long does a session take in a your area classroom?
Twenty to thirty minutes, structured as read-aloud, small group, and one step each child names out loud before they leave the room.
Does this need a specialist to deliver?
No. It is written for the classroom teacher, the counselor, or whoever has the room that period. The leader script carries the questions and the follow-ups.
The rules that make it work
It is a character story, not a social skills assessment
No child is scored, graded or sorted into a social tier. The room gets shared language and a move to practise, and nothing about a child is recorded.
Never make the left-out child the project
A program that visibly organises itself around one child has told the whole room who that child is. Everything here is run for everyone.
One person, not the whole group
Joining a group is the hardest version of the task and the one children are always told to do. One person, chosen beforehand, is the version that works.
Difference is the asset, said plainly
Not "everyone is special", which children correctly hear as nothing. The specific thing that makes this child the odd one out is named, and then used.
Adults go first
An adult describing their own time at the fence gives permission that no amount of encouragement does.
Ask the new child whether it worked
Not the volunteers, not the popular children, not the staff. The person who was alone is the only reliable measure of whether a belonging program works.
Upstander Training by metro area
Northeast
- Upstander Training — New York, NY
- Upstander Training — Philadelphia, PA
- Upstander Training — Boston, MA
- Upstander Training — Pittsburgh, PA
- Upstander Training — Providence, RI
- Upstander Training — Hartford, CT
- Upstander Training — Buffalo, NY
- Upstander Training — Rochester, NY
- Upstander Training — Bridgeport, CT
- Upstander Training — Albany, NY
- Upstander Training — Worcester, MA
- Upstander Training — Allentown, PA
- Upstander Training — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Upstander Training — Syracuse, NY
- Upstander Training — Harrisburg, PA
- Upstander Training — New Haven, CT
- Upstander Training — Portland, ME
- Upstander Training — Scranton, PA
- Upstander Training — Lancaster, PA
- Upstander Training — York, PA
- Upstander Training — Springfield, MA
- Upstander Training — Waterbury, CT
- Upstander Training — Reading, PA
- Upstander Training — Manchester, NH
- Upstander Training — Trenton, NJ
- Upstander Training — Atlantic City, NJ
- Upstander Training — Utica, NY
- Upstander Training — Norwich, CT
- Upstander Training — Erie, PA
- Upstander Training — Binghamton, NY
- Upstander Training — Barnstable, MA
- Upstander Training — Burlington, VT
- Upstander Training — Kingston, NY
- Upstander Training — Amherst, MA
- Upstander Training — Chambersburg, PA
- Upstander Training — Bangor, ME
- Upstander Training — State College, PA
- Upstander Training — Vineland, NJ
- Upstander Training — Lebanon, PA
- Upstander Training — Johnstown, PA
- Upstander Training — Pittsfield, MA
- Upstander Training — Glens Falls, NY
- Upstander Training — Altoona, PA
- Upstander Training — Lewiston, ME
- Upstander Training — Williamsport, PA
- Upstander Training — Watertown, NY
- Upstander Training — Gettysburg, PA
- Upstander Training — Ithaca, NY
- Upstander Training — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Upstander Training — Chicago, IL
- Upstander Training — Detroit, MI
- Upstander Training — Minneapolis, MN
- Upstander Training — St. Louis, MO
- Upstander Training — Cincinnati, OH
- Upstander Training — Kansas City, MO
- Upstander Training — Columbus, OH
- Upstander Training — Indianapolis, IN
- Upstander Training — Cleveland, OH
- Upstander Training — Milwaukee, WI
- Upstander Training — Grand Rapids, MI
- Upstander Training — Omaha, NE
- Upstander Training — Dayton, OH
- Upstander Training — Des Moines, IA
- Upstander Training — Madison, WI
- Upstander Training — Akron, OH
- Upstander Training — Wichita, KS
- Upstander Training — Toledo, OH
- Upstander Training — Springfield, MO
- Upstander Training — Lansing, MI
- Upstander Training — Fort Wayne, IN
- Upstander Training — Youngstown, OH
- Upstander Training — Flint, MI
- Upstander Training — Canton, OH
- Upstander Training — Davenport, IA
- Upstander Training — Ann Arbor, MI
- Upstander Training — Peoria, IL
- Upstander Training — Lincoln, NE
- Upstander Training — Rockford, IL
- Upstander Training — Green Bay, WI
- Upstander Training — South Bend, IN
- Upstander Training — Sioux Falls, SD
- Upstander Training — Duluth, MN
- Upstander Training — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Upstander Training — Evansville, IN
- Upstander Training — Fargo, ND
- Upstander Training — Kalamazoo, MI
- Upstander Training — Appleton, WI
- Upstander Training — Champaign, IL
- Upstander Training — Topeka, KS
- Upstander Training — Rochester, MN
- Upstander Training — Lafayette, IN
- Upstander Training — Columbia, MO
- Upstander Training — Joplin, MO
- Upstander Training — Elkhart, IN
- Upstander Training — Springfield, IL
- Upstander Training — St. Cloud, MN
- Upstander Training — Racine, WI
- Upstander Training — Saginaw, MI
- Upstander Training — Iowa City, IA
- Upstander Training — Muskegon, MI
- Upstander Training — Eau Claire, WI
- Upstander Training — Oshkosh, WI
- Upstander Training — Bloomington, IL
- Upstander Training — La Crosse, WI
- Upstander Training — Terre Haute, IN
- Upstander Training — Waterloo, IA
- Upstander Training — Kenosha, WI
- Upstander Training — Janesville, WI
- Upstander Training — Bloomington, IN
- Upstander Training — Jackson, MI
- Upstander Training — Traverse City, MI
- Upstander Training — Rapid City, SD
- Upstander Training — Monroe, MI
- Upstander Training — Jefferson City, MO
- Upstander Training — Niles, MI
- Upstander Training — Sioux City, IA
- Upstander Training — Bismarck, ND
- Upstander Training — Wausau, WI
- Upstander Training — Manhattan, KS
- Upstander Training — Springfield, OH
- Upstander Training — Battle Creek, MI
- Upstander Training — Ames, IA
- Upstander Training — Mansfield, OH
- Upstander Training — Lawrence, KS
- Upstander Training — St. Joseph, MO
- Upstander Training — Sheboygan, WI
- Upstander Training — Muncie, IN
- Upstander Training — Sandusky, OH
- Upstander Training — Michigan City, IN
- Upstander Training — Kankakee, IL
- Upstander Training — Grand Forks, ND
- Upstander Training — Mankato, MN
- Upstander Training — Fond du Lac, WI
- Upstander Training — Bay City, MI
- Upstander Training — Lima, OH
- Upstander Training — Dubuque, IA
- Upstander Training — Decatur, IL
- Upstander Training — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Upstander Training — Columbus, IN
- Upstander Training — Kokomo, IN
- Upstander Training — Midland, MI
- Upstander Training — Grand Island, NE
- Upstander Training — Minot, ND
South
- Upstander Training — Dallas, TX
- Upstander Training — Houston, TX
- Upstander Training — Atlanta, GA
- Upstander Training — Washington, DC
- Upstander Training — Miami, FL
- Upstander Training — Tampa, FL
- Upstander Training — Orlando, FL
- Upstander Training — Charlotte, NC
- Upstander Training — Baltimore, MD
- Upstander Training — San Antonio, TX
- Upstander Training — Austin, TX
- Upstander Training — Nashville, TN
- Upstander Training — Virginia Beach, VA
- Upstander Training — Jacksonville, FL
- Upstander Training — Raleigh, NC
- Upstander Training — Oklahoma City, OK
- Upstander Training — Louisville, KY
- Upstander Training — Richmond, VA
- Upstander Training — Memphis, TN
- Upstander Training — Birmingham, AL
- Upstander Training — Tulsa, OK
- Upstander Training — Greenville, SC
- Upstander Training — New Orleans, LA
- Upstander Training — Knoxville, TN
- Upstander Training — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Upstander Training — McAllen, TX
- Upstander Training — Charleston, SC
- Upstander Training — Baton Rouge, LA
- Upstander Training — El Paso, TX
- Upstander Training — Columbia, SC
- Upstander Training — Cape Coral, FL
- Upstander Training — Lakeland, FL
- Upstander Training — Greensboro, NC
- Upstander Training — Little Rock, AR
- Upstander Training — Deltona, FL
- Upstander Training — Winston-Salem, NC
- Upstander Training — Palm Bay, FL
- Upstander Training — Augusta, GA
- Upstander Training — Durham, NC
- Upstander Training — Fayetteville, AR
- Upstander Training — Jackson, MS
- Upstander Training — Chattanooga, TN
- Upstander Training — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Upstander Training — Huntsville, AL
- Upstander Training — Pensacola, FL
- Upstander Training — Lexington, KY
- Upstander Training — Killeen, TX
- Upstander Training — Wilmington, NC
- Upstander Training — Corpus Christi, TX
- Upstander Training — Ocala, FL
- Upstander Training — Savannah, GA
- Upstander Training — Brownsville, TX
- Upstander Training — Gulfport, MS
- Upstander Training — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Upstander Training — Lafayette, LA
- Upstander Training — Asheville, NC
- Upstander Training — Naples, FL
- Upstander Training — Mobile, AL
- Upstander Training — Spartanburg, SC
- Upstander Training — Beaumont, TX
- Upstander Training — Tallahassee, FL
- Upstander Training — Fayetteville, NC
- Upstander Training — Montgomery, AL
- Upstander Training — Shreveport, LA
- Upstander Training — Hickory, NC
- Upstander Training — Lubbock, TX
- Upstander Training — Huntington, WV
- Upstander Training — Gainesville, FL
- Upstander Training — Clarksville, TN
- Upstander Training — Columbus, GA
- Upstander Training — Roanoke, VA
- Upstander Training — Hagerstown, MD
- Upstander Training — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Upstander Training — Kingsport, TN
- Upstander Training — Waco, TX
- Upstander Training — Longview, TX
- Upstander Training — College Station, TX
- Upstander Training — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Upstander Training — Laredo, TX
- Upstander Training — Slidell, LA
- Upstander Training — Amarillo, TX
- Upstander Training — Lynchburg, VA
- Upstander Training — Daphne, AL
- Upstander Training — Tyler, TX
- Upstander Training — Lake Charles, LA
- Upstander Training — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Upstander Training — Macon, GA
- Upstander Training — Fort Smith, AR
- Upstander Training — Panama City, FL
- Upstander Training — Charlottesville, VA
- Upstander Training — Gainesville, GA
- Upstander Training — Athens, GA
- Upstander Training — Monroe, LA
- Upstander Training — Punta Gorda, FL
- Upstander Training — Jacksonville, NC
- Upstander Training — Johnson City, TN
- Upstander Training — Lexington Park, MD
- Upstander Training — Warner Robins, GA
- Upstander Training — Auburn, AL
- Upstander Training — Florence, SC
- Upstander Training — Charleston, WV
- Upstander Training — Houma, LA
- Upstander Training — Bowling Green, KY
- Upstander Training — Dover, DE
- Upstander Training — Midland, TX
- Upstander Training — Burlington, NC
- Upstander Training — Abilene, TX
- Upstander Training — Jackson, TN
- Upstander Training — Greenville, NC
- Upstander Training — Blacksburg, VA
- Upstander Training — Odessa, TX
- Upstander Training — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Upstander Training — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Upstander Training — Decatur, AL
- Upstander Training — Hattiesburg, MS
- Upstander Training — The Villages metro area, FL
- Upstander Training — Florence, AL
- Upstander Training — Dothan, AL
- Upstander Training — Sherman, TX
- Upstander Training — Valdosta, GA
- Upstander Training — Winchester, VA
- Upstander Training — Wichita Falls, TX
- Upstander Training — Rocky Mount, NC
- Upstander Training — Alexandria, LA
- Upstander Training — Dalton, GA
- Upstander Training — Texarkana, TX
- Upstander Training — Albany, GA
- Upstander Training — Morgantown, WV
- Upstander Training — Hammond, LA
- Upstander Training — Harrisonburg, VA
- Upstander Training — Jonesboro, AR
- Upstander Training — Wheeling, WV
- Upstander Training — Cleveland, TN
- Upstander Training — Salisbury, MD
- Upstander Training — Staunton, VA
- Upstander Training — Morristown, TN
- Upstander Training — Elizabethtown, KY
- Upstander Training — Lawton, OK
- Upstander Training — Goldsboro, NC
- Upstander Training — San Angelo, TX
- Upstander Training — Brunswick, GA
- Upstander Training — Anniston, AL
- Upstander Training — Owensboro, KY
- Upstander Training — Steubenville, WV
- Upstander Training — Sebring, FL
- Upstander Training — Pinehurst, NC
- Upstander Training — Beckley, WV
- Upstander Training — Sumter, SC
- Upstander Training — Gadsden, AL
- Upstander Training — Paducah, KY
- Upstander Training — Rome, GA
- Upstander Training — Victoria, TX
- Upstander Training — Hot Springs, AR
- Upstander Training — Hinesville, GA
- Upstander Training — Parkersburg, WV
- Upstander Training — Enid, OK
- Upstander Training — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Upstander Training — Los Angeles, CA
- Upstander Training — Phoenix, AZ
- Upstander Training — Riverside, CA
- Upstander Training — San Francisco, CA
- Upstander Training — Seattle, WA
- Upstander Training — San Diego, CA
- Upstander Training — Denver, CO
- Upstander Training — Portland, OR
- Upstander Training — Sacramento, CA
- Upstander Training — Las Vegas, NV
- Upstander Training — San Jose, CA
- Upstander Training — Salt Lake City, UT
- Upstander Training — Fresno, CA
- Upstander Training — Tucson, AZ
- Upstander Training — Honolulu, HI
- Upstander Training — Bakersfield, CA
- Upstander Training — Albuquerque, NM
- Upstander Training — Boise, ID
- Upstander Training — Oxnard, CA
- Upstander Training — Stockton, CA
- Upstander Training — Colorado Springs, CO
- Upstander Training — Provo, UT
- Upstander Training — Ogden, UT
- Upstander Training — Spokane, WA
- Upstander Training — Reno, NV
- Upstander Training — Modesto, CA
- Upstander Training — Santa Rosa, CA
- Upstander Training — Visalia, CA
- Upstander Training — Vallejo, CA
- Upstander Training — Salem, OR
- Upstander Training — Santa Maria, CA
- Upstander Training — Salinas, CA
- Upstander Training — Anchorage, AK
- Upstander Training — Eugene, OR
- Upstander Training — Greeley, CO
- Upstander Training — Fort Collins, CO
- Upstander Training — Boulder, CO
- Upstander Training — Kennewick, WA
- Upstander Training — Olympia, WA
- Upstander Training — Merced, CA
- Upstander Training — Bremerton, WA
- Upstander Training — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Upstander Training — Bend, OR
- Upstander Training — Yakima, WA
- Upstander Training — Santa Cruz, CA
- Upstander Training — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Upstander Training — Bellingham, WA
- Upstander Training — Las Cruces, NM
- Upstander Training — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Upstander Training — Yuma, AZ
- Upstander Training — Medford, OR
- Upstander Training — St. George, UT
- Upstander Training — Chico, CA
- Upstander Training — Billings, MT
- Upstander Training — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Upstander Training — Yuba City, CA
- Upstander Training — Redding, CA
- Upstander Training — El Centro, CA
- Upstander Training — Idaho Falls, ID
- Upstander Training — Pueblo, CO
- Upstander Training — Grand Junction, CO
- Upstander Training — Logan, UT
- Upstander Training — Maui, HI
- Upstander Training — Santa Fe, NM
- Upstander Training — Hanford, CA
- Upstander Training — Flagstaff, AZ
- Upstander Training — Mount Vernon, WA
- Upstander Training — Napa, CA
- Upstander Training — Albany, OR
- Upstander Training — Bozeman, MT
- Upstander Training — Missoula, MT
- Upstander Training — Wenatchee, WA
- Upstander Training — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Upstander Training — Twin Falls, ID
- Upstander Training — Farmington, NM
- Upstander Training — Longview, WA
- Upstander Training — Cheyenne, WY
- Upstander Training — Corvallis, OR
- Upstander Training — Helena, MT
- Upstander Training — Fairbanks, AK
- Upstander Training — Pocatello, ID
- Upstander Training — Grants Pass, OR
- Upstander Training — Great Falls, MT
- Upstander Training — Casper, WY
- Upstander Training — Lewiston, ID
- Upstander Training — Walla Walla, WA
- Upstander Training — Carson City, NV
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