About
Bears That CARE (BTC) is an active bystander initiative to make our campus safer. Through interactive workshops about bystander intervention, BTC educates and empowers individuals to effectively and safely intervene in potentially harmful or violent situations. We strive to create a community of care.
Our staff is comprised of peer educators and staff facilitators. Peer educators provide workshops to student groups across campus and actively promote violence prevention through a variety of programs, while staff facilitators lead workshops for academic and student affairs departments.
All our workshops incorporate bystander intervention and community engagement.
Take Action!
You can become part of the solution in making the Berkeley community safer and more inclusive for everyone. Bystander intervention is a great tool and has the power to transform our campus.
Ready to be a leader? Excited about making change? Here’s how you can take action:
- Request a Bears That CARE workshop for your club/organization/department/community
- Learn the CARE Model
- Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
- CARE Model
The CARE Model equips you with strategies for taking action. Depending on the situation at hand and your personal style for intervening, there is always an option for taking action while keeping yourself safe.
Here are some examples of ways to use the CARE Model to help others:
- Confront the Situation: Calling out a friend for a microaggression, “Hey, what you said was harmful because X”
- Alert Others: Talking to the party host about a student who passed out, “I’m worried about this person who passed out, can you check on them to see if they are alright?”
- Redirect Attention: Seeing an argument between a couple get heated and coming up with an excuse to separate them. “Hey! So and so is looking for you! Want to come with me and help find them together?”
- Engage After: Checking in on a peer who was harassed. “Hey, what they said was not cool. I wanted to reach out and see how you are feeling, how can I support you?”
- Bystander Intervention Basics
Together we can prevent violence and harm by being active bystanders who care for one another. Being an active bystander means that you TAKE ACTION when you see a situation that could be potentially harmful. Every step counts no matter how small you think it is.
Here are the steps to safely intervening to help others:
- Recognize the Situation: Recognition is key. This requires prior awareness of social identities and microaggressions, what consent does and doesn’t look like, when someone has had too much to drink, signs that someone is experiencing a decline in their mental health, and other important information we go over in each of our workshops.
- Decide to Take Action: Most likely, other witnesses may not have the tools to intervene or are worried to do so. Taking action takes a lot of courage and can empower others to help! Ask yourself: if not me, then who?
- Intervene Effectively and Follow up Appropriately: Choose one of the CARE intervention tools that work best for the situation and keep in mind that your safety is your top priority. If possible, check-in with the affected people after and share resources and options with them.
- Student Staff
Meet the Staff
Bears that CARE is a program of the Office of the Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs. In addition to working closely with partners across campus, BTC has a dedicated team of peer educators. Get to know more about the staff by reading their bios below.
Student Staff Coordinator: Riley Dison (she/her)
3rd year Political Science major
Riley joined BTC because she is passionate about harm reduction and violence prevention and the impact of peer education and intervention. She cares deeply about providing Cal students the space to begin conversations on violence prevention in the context of consent, alcohol safety, mental health, and social identities, as well as the tools necessary to expand their perspectives and identify solutions. Riley hopes to pursue a career in public policy, and has found BTC to be a great contribution to her education. Outside of Bears that CARE, Riley is an intern for political educational nonprofit Free the Facts, on the Executive Board of her sorority, a legislative director in the ASUC, and the co-president of UC Berkeley's olympic lifting club. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, and going to the gym.
Communications Coordinator: Alaina Adamos (she/her)
3rd year Molecular Cellular Biology Neurobiology
Alaina joined BTC because she wanted to become more involved in the UC Berkeley community. She loves what BTC stands for and BTC's mission to create a safer and more educated campus!
Outside of BTC Alaina enjoys curating Spotify playlists, playing the piano, and trying new cafes!
Content Coordinator: Mariana Mier (she/her)
3rd year Psychology major
Mariana wanted to join BTC because she feels like she is creating a positive change on campus. Educating others on how to be an active bystander so that we can prevent violence is something that Mariana is really passionate about, and BTC allows her to do that.
Content Coordinator: Ngan Pham (she/her)
4th year transfer student majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies
Ngan wanted to join BTC to contribute her perspectives as a newly arrived immigrant and an education advocate in violence prevention and mental wellness. She believes in the transformativeness of BTC workshops and activities, which promote and advocate for a safe and educating environment on campus.
Outside BTC, Ngan also works as a college and career advisor at East Bay Consortium to help marginalized students access higher education and is a Miller scholar doing research about the impact of ESL programs. Ngan’s hobbies include reading, writing, and watching Youtube videos!
Outreach Coordinator: Alina Huang (she/her)
3rd year undergraduate student studying Public Health
Alina wanted to join BTC because she really liked the message BTC stands for and she wanted to be a part of the solution. She wanted to continue her advocacy work at BTC because she believes that educating others and herself about violence prevention is essential to creating a safer community.
Outside of BTC, she is also involved in the Field Study Internship and is a Medical Scribe. Alina’s hobbies include baking, hiking, and thrifting!
Outreach Coordinator: Zaina Ghouri (she/her)
2nd year Cognitive Science and Molecular and Cell Biology Major
Zaina wanted to join BTC because she wanted to give back to the community and to help contribute to creating a safer and more welcoming environment on campus!
Outside of BTC Zaina loves trying new foods, collecting cute stationary and listening to music 🙂
Workshop Coordinator: Sarangoo Otgonbaatar (she/her)
2nd year majoring in Genetics and Plant Biology
Sara wanted to join bears that care because she felt that she would be able to create change on campus by spreading awareness and teaching her peers about how to engage in creating a community where everyone feels safe.Outside of BTC she is part of clubs like the blood pressure project and global medical training. Some of her hobbies are playing the drum kit, cooking, and knitting.
Workshop Coordinator: William Huynh (he/him)
3rd year Nutritional Sciences Major
William wanted to join BTC because he thought it was a great way to educate others on important topics that he sees not being addressed too often in communities that Will is a part of. He also believe that everyone should be taught that we can all be active bystanders in our own ways!
Outside of BTC, William works as a physical therapy aide, coach for Cal Dragon Boat, and a tennis coach to kids with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Will enjoys exercising, hiking, paddling, thrifting, and eating food!
Questions? Contact Us
510-541-9530