Intervening when someone is being harassed feels scary. But a global, people-powered movement called Hollaback is making it easy to put an end to harassment — and they’re seeing huge progress. The organization has grown to 14 countries, where it provides free trainings on conflict de-escalation, bystander intervention, resilience, and more. Through their simple, effective programming, Hollback is on a mission to empower people to take a stand against harassment and effect positive change.

In this episode, Hollaback co-founder and executive director Emily May shares the disturbing story of harassment that inspired her to start Hollaback, why bystander intervention is important, how anyone can learn to be an effective bystander through Hollaback’s five steps of bystander intervention, and why we can be hopeful about addressing harassment.