History

Quabbin Mediation Building in Downtown Orange, with the sun shinning on the façade.

The current Training Active Bystanders (TAB) curriculum was developed in 2014 by Quabbin Mediation, Inc. of Orange, Massachusetts. The original version of the Training Active Bystanders curriculum was created and first used in collaboration between Quabbin Mediation, and Professor Ervin Staub, Ph.D., in 2006-2007 and is based in significant part on Professor Staub’s work. 

TAB has created a new and enduring partnership among Quabbin Mediation, regional schools, police departments, and community organizations. Partners were involved in the evolution of TAB from its inception, through strategy development, refining, applying and modifying the curriculum, and evaluation. This involvement has led to a demand for TAB in the community setting, in organizations, and in elementary schools, as well as demand for creating an advanced TAB curriculum.

Since 2008, TAB has been implemented in over 20 school districts and hundreds of community sites, with 3,200 student and community trainers teaching the curriculum to more than 32,000 of their peers. Additionally, TAB has been implemented in numerous community settings, encouraging community members to become morally courageous Active Bystanders. TAB has become the work of many thousands of people in Massachusetts’ North Quabbin area and nationally, and in hubs in the United Kingdom, Canada, and globally.

Quabbin Mediation is deeply grateful to all those volunteers who have given so much of themselves to make the program a success.

Find out more about implementing TAB in your community!