Lamplighter Coalition offers Bystander Skills Building workshop

I view the number of lighting industry organizations that have developed over several years in response to key social justice issues as a positive evolution. From where I stand, such groups exist to inform, engage in discussion, enrich participants’ experience across career levels, and empower us all to drive positive and meaningful change in the lighting community.

I am thankful that we are living in a time of more open communication about boundaries, biases, leadership by example, and what constitutes a good framework for social responsibility and respect. Social behaviors of course cross over from personal to professional life, so I too have asked myself, “What could or should I do in [X situation]?” and I don’t necessarily have informed answers to the question.

The not-for-profit group Women in Lighting + Design (WILD) is prepared to help the industry learn strategies for identifying, managing, and preventing workplace sexual harassment and bullying with three online seminars planned through October and November. Whether you have directly experienced such behavior on the job or not, it’s important for all professionals to feel capable, respected, and supported in their workplaces as well as in professional roles outside of the office — regardless of gender or sexual identity.

I urge anyone who is interested in practical guidance and training to register and attend one of these online webinars. I’ve included details from WILD’s Lamplighter Coalition on its seminar agenda below.

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Do you know what to do in an uncomfortable professional situation? How to step in, or who to turn to when dealing with harassment? How can you help someone that was harmed?

Join the WILD Lamplighter Coalition and harassment-prevention consultants from Alteristic for a highly practical Bystander Skills Building Workshop. We’ll review the barriers to intervention and the three Ds (Direct, Distract, Delegate), then give attendees an opportunity to hone their skills with real-world scenarios and role-playing.

Sexual harassment and bullying are more prevalent in our industry than you might think. Empower yourself to be an ally!

Aligning with the mission of Lamplighter Coalition’s “Be Aware, Be There” campaign, attendees will learn how they can help stop, repudiate and prevent sexual harassment in social and professional environments. Attendees will be equipped with the skills and motivation needed to:

• recognize and respond to behaviors that could lead to or constitute harassment,
• acknowledge barriers that may prevent action and develop realistic options for intervening, and
• identify ways they can utilize their spheres of influence to establish a climate of dignity and respect.

These workshops will be led by Alteristic, a nonprofit committed to preventing all forms of interpersonal violence in professional environments. Alteristic has been working directly with WILD to address the specific needs of our industry.

About WILD Lamplighter Coalition

The Lamplighter Coalition is a growing program that aims to create awareness around sexual harassment and its prevalent nature in professional culture, and provide tools and resources to help lighting industry members stop, repudiate, and prevent sexual harassment in social and professional environments.

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Sign up for one of the three available Zoom sessions — Oct. 10, Oct. 23, or Nov. 9.

Visit the WILD website for more resources and membership information.

CARRIE MEADOWS is editor-in-chief of LEDs Magazine, with 20-plus years’ experience in business-to-business publishing across technology markets including solid-state technology manufacturing, fiberoptic communications, machine vision, lasers and photonics, and LEDs and lighting.