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Vera House Launches “Raise the Bar” Vera House Launches "Raise the Bar" in Central New York

Raise the Bar is looking for bars to create a healthy nightlife in Central NY.

By Alazia Williams

ANCHOR: Vera House is challenging the bars in Armory Square to “raise the bar”. The new initiative is to create leaders in healthy nightlife here in Central New York. NCC’s Alazia Williams is in Syracuse to tell us about how this could bring some positive change to the community.

REPORTER: Vera House has teamed up with 5 bars in Armory Square to help prevent sexual violence and sexual harassment to create a safe, fun atmosphere for customers and staff.

RYLAN HERGREDY: Its happening, its happening! And I’m like what’s happening, he’s like the training the training its happening now, the textbook! We need it now!)

REPORTER: Rylan Hergredy is the manager at Pastabilities, one of the restaurants that has put the training in to action. It teaches staff knowledge and skills to be able to address sexual aggression and relationship violence while working.

Rylan Hergredy: It’s been really, really a useful tool for us, we feel strong and confident in knowing what sort of behavior are not the ones we want in our restaurant

REPORTER: Vera House realized that alcohol plays a huge factor in the nightlife here in Syracuse dealing with sexual assault. That’s how this whole idea came about.

Brittany Pryor: One of the things we know with sexual assault specifically is that one of the key factors between either the perpetrator and the victim to both of them or each one individually is alcohol.

REPORTER: Brittany Pryor is the Healthy Environment Coordinator at Vera house she added that alcohol could be a direct line to domestic violence, so there was no question where to begin.

Brittany Pryor: Alcohol is involved in those sexual aggression um, sexual violence, rapes things like that so when we think about that and how high that is that, that can be a factor why not start
with that factor?

Kitty Hoyne is an establishment also participating in Raise the Bar and the employer of
Joseph Beaver, who has been serving in Syracuse for over ten years and is looking forward to the positive change.

Joseph Beaver: I defiantly think this is going to be beneficial for a city like Syracuse with two big colleges SU; Lemoyne we get a lot of night life as we know alcohol can only fuel what people already have inside them.

REPORTER: Raise the Bar offers Training for Staff free of charge and is planning on expanding throughout Central New York. In Syracuse, I’m Alazia Williams NCC News.

October is domestic violence awareness month, and Vera House is challenging local bars to raise their awareness about sexual and relationship violence.

Vera House launched its new initiative, Raise the Bar. The initiative works with the owners, managers and staff  of five locals businesses to implement a safe, fun environment for customers and staff.

The goal of Raise the bar is to help bars and nightlife establishment in Central New York to create a safe environment that helps prevent sexual and relationship violence and sexual harassment. The training is broken in two parts, building knowledge and skills to help participants know when to address sexual aggression and relationship violence when working.

Vera House chose five establishments in Armory Square to begin the initiative.

  • Funk ‘n Waffles
  • Kitty Hoyne’s
  • The Blue Tusk
  • Stoop Kitchen
  • Pastabilities

Vera House prevents, responds to and partners to end domestic and sexual violence and other forms of abuse. For more information about Raise the Age or Vera House contact Brittany Pryor, Healthy Environment Project Coordinator bpryor@verahouse.org.

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