Talk Consent Deliver Workshop to Students

Less than 10 years ago, if you mentioned consent to a 16-18 year old they would think you were referring to the legal age of consent. There has been a seismic change in recent years, and today dealing with the topic of consent is a key item of RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) covered in schools. There is, however, a kickback from this as students of our age have often been ‘lectured’ about rights and wrongs in unengaging PSHCE sessions, meaning they understand the terminology all too well, but still feel ill-equipped to deal with the often complex realities in their own lives.

We therefore invited the well-reviewed organisation Talk Consent to deliver a workshop to our sixth formers, proving them with a safe space to explore and discuss scenarios they may encounter. Areas covered included not simply going through the motions of obtaining consent but also making sure that any sexual activity is a safe and positive experience for all parties. This also meant considering how communication might work in reality, in addition to being attentive to a partner.

Students were shown a video clip from HBO’s Vice of a girl’s distressed response to having experienced sexual abuse. The discussion was then opened up to the group to think about things that may create positive and negative experiences in relationships. The negatives centred on aggression and unhealthy defences against vulnerability; the positives on communication. Finally, the group discussed their responses and possible reactions to hypothetical scenarios of sexual situations where consent was ambiguous.

Our students were mature and engaged in their discussions and offered thoughtful and realistic responses to the scenarios. As ever, they were also respectful of one another’s input. We hope the session was useful and thought-provoking as they prepare to make the transition to their adult lives.

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