Relationships, sexuality & consent

What is currently being taught to our young people is clearly not working. So here at Learning Consent we are doing things differently. Our training is based upon the premise that consent is complicated, and there is a lot to learn. We hold a safe space for people to bring their questions - however big or small - and our trainers work with participants to unpack the complexities of the subject and enable each individual to establish their own ethical approach to sexual consent. Our training is research driven, evidence based, inclusive and youth centred.

Our training is based on current academic qualitative research with young people. At Learning Consent the researchers are the trainers. All of our training incorporates real-life case studies from research interviews we have undertaken with both heterosexual and non-heteronormative young people to facilitate reflective discussion.

Learning Consent is a provider of comprehensive sexuality education. Our programs are designed in alignment with UNESCO’s International Technical Guidance for Sexuality Education (2018). The Guidance presents the evidence base for delivering comprehensive sexuality education within a framework of human rights and gender equality.

Our training methodology draws on two key evidence based teaching approaches. The first is the teaching of critical thinking skills. Our programs invite participants to apply their critical thinking skills to examine complex scenarios and cultural norms that impinge on aspects of negotiating consent. The second training methodology we employ is a community of inquiry approach. The facilitator holds a safe space for participants to get curious about the nuances of sexual consent.

At Learning Consent, we are passionate about ensuring that every young person engaged in our program feels seen and included. Research demonstrates that young people are critical of the lack of diversity represented in formal sex education programs. In our own research, we have heard from young people themselves how isolating and harmful this can be for them.

At Learning Consent we make sure that the diversity of young people’s lived experiences is reflected in the content and delivery of our curriculum, so that all young people feel seen and can relate no matter where they are sitting on the gender and/or sexuality spectrum.

Learning Consent persistently contests the heterosexual privilege that disturbingly permeates much of the contemporary sex education taught to young people. Our own research ensures a diverse sample of young people, and our training reflects this.

At Learning Consent we operate under the assumption that young people are knowledgeable, discerning citizens who possess the skills to think critically and act ethically. We see our role as facilitating a conversation and holding a safe space for them to practice thinking critically about sexual consent. The end goal is that the young people we work with will feel capable of being involved in safe and pleasurable sexual experiences when the time is right for them.

We ensure that the examples we use in our training materials are relevant to young people, and wherever possible, expressed in their own words. We cover the issues that we know inform and reflect young people's lived experiences of consent – including sexual pleasure, pornography, social media and drugs and alcohol.