The issue of consent pervades every aspect of our lives, at every stage of our lives. Learning to say, ‘yes’ or ‘no’, learning, but also giving oneself the permission, to be one’s authentic self and to uphold one’s personal beliefs and values is crucial in life. It is a necessity and key to one’s agency and sense of identity.   

On Monday May 30, 2022, as part of the School’s Consent Education program, Years 11 and 12 students participated in workshops on the topic of consent with a focus on Sexual Consent, delivered by Elephant Ed.  

Elephant Ed is an organisation which specialises in the delivery of relevant, thoughtful, and caring workshops to schools and workplaces. This provider focuses on sexuality and relationships using evidence-based, age-appropriate material that is mapped to State and National curriculum guidelines. The facilitators of the program are knowledgeable, mature, and respectful young people extensively trained in the subject matter as well as in the delivery of this sensitive material. Moreover, the key advisors at the core of Elephant Ed are dynamic experts in their respective fields of medicine, clinical psychology, and the law. 

It was a fascinating and most illuminating experience to be an observer of the session as it unfolded. So many questions and queries were raised, addressed, and answered. Students were seated in an open discussion setting where they were supported by their teachers and the facilitator at every stage of the workshop. And indeed, students were offered the option of attending this informative workshop or not. The participants were engaged, animated, vocal, reflective, and interested in the material presented. 

Co-ordinated by Ms Sam Basford who is taking up the role of Wellbeing Program Coordinator at St Catherine’s School, shared the statistics from a survey conducted of attending students. The survey suggests that this session was greatly welcomed. One hundred percent of students surveyed appreciated, enjoyed, and approved of the workshop. One hundred percent of students also want Elephant Ed to return to St Catherine’s as they felt the material was presented in an accessible, engaging, and supportive way. One hundred percent of students said they found it useful to have a young facilitator. 

Some student responses include:  

“Very informative, made me realise a lot about this area.” 

“I really appreciated having a young facilitator and the way in which she approached such a difficult topic with such kindness and patience.” 

“Such a respectful and mature presentation’.”  

We thank Ms Basford for her initiative and look forward to continuing this discussion as consent education is embedded into curriculum across Australian schools in 2023. This new curriculum will focus on age-appropriate consent, respectful relationship education, gendered stereotypes, coercion, and power imbalances.