“Hello.”

A simple word with the power to bridge divides and keep communities safe. The Secure Community Network (SCN) is pleased to announce the launch of a new training, “Power of Hello.” Based on the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Power of Hello initiative, the training equips participants with the knowledge and skills to observe and evaluate suspicious behaviors, empowering them to mitigate potential risk by knowing when to seek additional help. 

Power of Hello builds on SCN’s core BeAware training, bridging situational awareness with active community engagement. The program teaches participants to move beyond observation and address potential risks before they escalate. Framed around the process of the Observe, Initiate a Hello, Navigate the Risk, and Obtain Help (OHNO) framework, this new training equips participants with practical tools to make informed decisions and strengthen community safety. 

This is how SCN introduced its newest training offering last Monday. The welcoming of a stranger is an act of grace and kindness as well as a precautionary process. Places of worship are always balancing the need to be open and welcoming with the need to navigate the chances that someone is there to harm. This often falls on ushers and greeters, whether a Chabad, synagogue, volunteer, or dance group. We can think of that initial greeter as a social role, but they are the first in line to notice something odd or out of place. Many organizations struggle to find people to fill these roles. The most common reason is that people are worried they’ll let in a bad person, and that’s a heavy burden to carry. The reality is that ushers and greeters are not there to keep out everyone who poses a threat, just the ones who display alerting behavior. There are numerous instances of attackers being invited into places of worship - to pray, seek help, sustenance – none of whom presented as a concern. The goal of Power or Hello is to train people not to keep out everyone, but to help screen obvious issues.

I’m using this column to encourage you to consider volunteering in your space should these roles be needed. This training can help people feel more confident in the role and temper expectations about what they can and can’t do. The training class covers recognizing suspicious behavior, applying the Power of Hello approach, recognizing when behavior becomes concerning, using effective communication strategies, and identifying and responding appropriately to potential threats.

The training was initially piloted formally through several Federations, and I’ve previously incorporated the training concepts into my community training. I’d love to be asked into your organization to present the Power of Hello to your community or group. I’ll shortly be incorporating it into my online training sessions and you can expect to see it on my calendar soon.

There’s more information about this course on the SCN website which you can find here: https://www.securecommunitynetwork.org/empowering-communities-through-training/training-catalog/power-of-hello/. 

Some organizations I’ve worked with keep a binder near their front door, with resources for their greeters. It can contain a list of contact numbers, policies, pictures of people you want to keep out of the building, etc. This is another way organizations can help support and bring confidence to their greeters and staff. A couple of additional items for this binder are some forms that building users can make use of. Here are links to two new documents, a Person Description Form (https://www.securecommunitynetwork.org/resources/person-description-form/) and a Vehicle Description Form (https://www.securecommunitynetwork.org/resources/vehicle-description-form/). These can strengthen documentation and follow-up when something unusual happens.

As always, if you want training or help with any aspect of greeter team development, give me a call at 872-273-9214 or email me at [email protected].