In recent years, universities across the UK have begun exploring, developing and testing bystander approaches to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). Differing in their approaches, the programmes are underpinned by a belief that sexist social norms are at the root of violence and that by utilising social marketing techniques and prevention education programmes, aimed at non-perpetrating men, social norm change can occur. By engaging with men as allies, bystander programmes aim to create positive social environments, upskilling men and women and supporting them to challenge peers engaged in sexist behaviour. At the heart of this approach is a belief that sexist social norms, as they are learnt, can be unlearnt, challenged, and ultimately changed.

This chapter provides a brief outline of how one such approach – Get Savi (Students Against Violence Initiative) – was developed and delivered in Scotland between 2012 and 2015. Focusing first on the broader policy and political context in which this programme was developed, this chapter explores the importance of a political consensus around the causes of VAWG. Crucial to the development of Get Savi was both a political and practitioner consensus around adopting the socio-ecological approach to violence prevention, most vividly represented in national policy approaches developed by the Scottish Government. The financial environment at this time also enabled violence against women organisations to begin utilising partnerships and expertise to develop prevention education work. Alongside the broader context, this chapter also explores the role of partnerships in the development and in the re-imagining of the prevention education programme for a Scottish audience, based on the success of US approaches. Finally, it highlights some of the ongoing challenges such as the difficulties in generating long-term evaluations and in producing robust research around the relationship between programme attendance and campus-wide behaviour change, due in part to the reluctance of institutions to engage at the senior and administrative level. By drawing together learnings from the project this chapter seeks to make recommendations for future policies and programmes on prevention education for student communities in the UK and beyond.