Equipping students with the life skills necessary to make a positive impact on campus issues, overcome bystander behavior and be an every|day hero™!
Mike Dilbeck stresses the importance of speaking up and acting based on your values. He truly believes that seizing an opportunity to act can dramatically change the campus community and allow all of us to be the every|day hero that we want to be.
Mike helps your students understand the far-reaching impact of bystander behavior and empowers them to go beyond the barriers and be an every|day hero. In his interactive keynotes and workshops, he equips students with easily digestible skills to challenge the negative behaviors they see around them every day—and to inspire others to do the same.
In 2007, Mike founded the RESPONSE ABILITY® Project, partnering with renowned academic and researcher Dr. Alan Berkowitz. Mike recently published a book written by Berkowitz on his bystander behavior research. Mike has also produced an award winning DVD package that is being used on more than 250 campuses nationwide and by 40 of the NIC/NPC/PFA organizations. This educational program was used in the curriculum of the 2009 Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) and Mike received the 2009 Laurel Wreath Award from the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), and received the 2009 Fellow Award from the Fraternity Executives Association (FEA) for outstanding programming in the interfraternity world.
In 2011, Mike also founded the most recent initiative of the Project: the Every|Day Hero Campaign. With a mission to empower the every|day hero in all of us, this initiative provides ongoing educational and empowerment resources to fulfill the every|day hero pledge in our lives—and make the difference we want to make for people, organizations and issues we care about.
Mike started a great trend on our campus. We are going to be continuing Response Ability training in small groups on campus this year, and I believe that will greatly impact the lasting change.
Tom Breunig, University of Arkansas
Mike’s keynote helped the students look to the future and reflect on how the actions they take today can determine the legacy that they create for others who may stand where they once did. It was important for me that the fraternity/sorority students have the tools so that they can be role models and leaders of change for not only their chapters, but their greater campus community and world.
Elizabeth Doyle, Elmhurst College
Mike's presentation speaks to problems that affect every college campus and takes charge with a topic that is easy to avoid. I think providing the students with a practical take away is a good starting point for me.
Samantha McGinty, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
I feel Mike helped reinforce the bystander intervention concept that we introduced our incoming freshmen to earlier in the summer during orientation; but this time through the lens of alcohol and drug abuse, while also noting hazing, sexual assault, discrimination and bullying. I feel his interactive text messaging and videos throughout his lecture helped convey this information effectively. His "3 Steps" that he shared with the students in regards to how to engage as an active bystander were easy to remember and attainable.
Tara R Schuster, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Your Every|Day Hero message was relatable to everyone in Eta Phi. You left us all empowered and excited to practice what we learned through your message. And because of your testimonials, our organization now has the skills to become leaders on Furman's campus.
Kayla, Alpha Delta Pi, Furman University
Response Ability: Being an Every|Day Hero™
In this galvanizing keynote, Mike reveals the nature of this social phenomenon and the barriers many of us feel when we consider whether or not to act—those that get in the way of being a hero to other people, organizations and issues. Students from all walks of life will then understand how seizing the opportunity to act can dramatically change their campus, and how it can allow them to be the every|day hero they want to be. Mike concentrates on giving his audience three powerful life skills to use whenever they see unhealthy or negative behavior among their peers, in their classes, on their campuses and in their lives:
• TARGET PROBLEM—any kind of problem—that needs some kind of intervention
• TRANSCEND BARRIERS—the powerful thoughts that will be in the way of intervention
• TAKE ACTION—any kind of action—to make the difference in a problem situation
In a non-confrontational style, Mike reveals how we all participate in bystander behavior and includes situations where he, himself, witnessed harmful situations and let them occur without intervening. He also emphasizes that these life skills go beyond the campus, and that students will be equipped for life to deal with problems as they see them happening around them.
RESPONSE ABILITY: Being an Every|Day Hero uses video clips from the award-winning DVD to help frame the discussion and to share “real” conversations among students. It’s appropriate for all student groups, and it has been especially popular for fraternity and sorority leadership training. Consider it also for residence life training, student-athletes, emerging leaders events, peer education groups, wellness programs and more.
This is our opportunity to empower the 80 percent of students who make the right choices. It’s time for them to stand up, say something and act when they see the other 20 percent making choices that bring down their communities.
Before the audience leaves, they have the opportunity to take the Every|Day Hero Pledge and to receive ongoing support materials to support them in fulfilling this in their lives.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Understand the impact of bystander behavior in all of our lives.
• Become reacquainted with personal values and commitment to making the difference for others.
• Gain the social awareness, personal power and tools to intervene in problem situations and become an Every|Day Hero.
Mike's Bio
Mike is a Chicago-based filmmaker turned advocate. Since 1990, he has created educational projects aimed at empowering young people. He has produced more than 60 educational and promotional film projects for higher education organizations over the past two decades, earning awards and a reputation for challenging negative social norms in college student communities. He now dedicates himself full-time to the RESPONSE ABILITY Project and its newest initiative: the Every|Day Hero Campaign. He is a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and founded his chapter at Texas Christian University. He also served his international fraternity as Assistant Executive Director.
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