Active* Consent

Building Sustainable Consent Education in Further Education & Training 🙌 This Tuesday the 17th of December we were delighted to collaborate with Further Education and Training to hold our first ThisIsFET event where we welcomed colleagues from around the country to focus on building sustainable consent education in the Further Education & Training sector. The opening address was from Blake Hodkinson, FET Director, City of Dublin ETB, who began with highlighting the scope and diversity of FET, that we all have a responsibility to normalise consent education & positively affect every community nationally. Our FET lead, Sinead Mc Grath, brought us through the journey so far, while acknowledging the huge achievements such as nearly 3,000 FET staff having accessed some type of Active* Consent training. This session guided the attendees to what worked on the ground, aiming to bridge the gap from staff training to rollout to learners while highlighting calls to action including; 🔵 The designation of an ETB-specific consent education function, with responsibility given to a coordinator or team. 🔵 Agreement of implementation plans by FE college and centre management, including the commitment to mainstreaming consent education. 🔵 Strategic national framework: Key stakeholders to agree to a call to action statement including development of a consent framework & inclusion in the next FET strategy. 🔵 Equality across Higher and Further Education regarding consent education. Marie-Louise O'Reilly from City of Dublin ETB Psychological Service reminded us of the importance of learner wellbeing, which should be at the heart of everything we do, which includes preventative consent education. Aideen Lyster, Assistant Principal & Guidance Counsellor, Inchicore College of Further Education brought us back to the "Reality on the Ground" working as a guidance counsellor, being aware of the possible complexities of staff & learners, while bringing us through her Active* Consent journey. Clarissa J. DiSantis, our Education & Training Lead next brought everyone through an interactive session: "The Comprehensive Institution-wide Approach" where attendees were fully engaged. Our session ended with a panel discussion which highlighted the different models of rollout that were successful within certain ETBs ending on the advice from colleagues from Cork ETB to "be brave" while Donnacha Clancy, Principal of Inchicore College of Further Education acknowledged how serious the issue of SVH was and that we are all responsible for proactive consent education. This event brought together voices who were in agreement that although there have been many wins normalising consent education within the sector, we need to bridge the gap between Higher and Further Education Consent Education. Huge thanks to everyone who travelled and Inchicore College of Further Education for hosting this wonderful event!

Since its establishment in 2013, University of Galway’s Active* Consent Programme has evolved into a national programme, addressing student needs on consent, sexual violence and harassment, and upskilling the staff who support them. The Active* Consent programme leads education, training and education campaigns on consent, sexual violence and harassment across the island of Ireland. This initiative has had a profound and wide-ranging impact within higher education, on national policy, and has formed part of the national discourse on consent. Discover more about the impact that Active* Consent has had on students and staff across the country here: https://lnkd.in/eWy44rR3 #HEAStoriesofImpact #PerformanceFunding University of Galway

Big Strides in Croke Park this week! 🌟 On Tuesday, December 10th, two significant reports were launched, each addressing vital issues around consent, sexual violence, and creating safer spaces for all. Here's what they were about: 📘 COSHARE Report This research, a joint effort by Ulster University and the University of Galway, has established an all-island North-South HEI staff campus climate survey of consent, sexual violence, harassment and equality. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/ecf8SqGR 📗 First Point of Contact: Disclosure Management Skills Training Evaluation This collaboration between Active* Consent and Galway Rape Crisis Centre evaluated the impact of training designed to equip people with the skills to handle disclosures of sexual violence. The findings are an essential resource for those working across education and other sectors to support survivors effectively and compassionately. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/e9-W9Rcj 🙌 Compassion Without Compromise Our Clinical & Therapeutic Lead, Gemma, and Education & Training Lead Clarissa held a training session, Compassion Without Compromise: Self-Care Strategies for Managing Exposure to Vicarious Trauma. This interactive session introduced participants to managing the risk of exposure of vicarious trauma and burnout. It draws on the First Point of Contact skill set along with insights from the forthcoming 2nd Edition of Addressing Student Sexual Violence in Higher Education (Clarissa DiSantis & Graham Towl). The event brought together voices from second, further and higher level education, and vital prevention and response organisations to discuss these important topics and pave the way for positive change✨ #ConsentCulture #ActiveConsent #HigherEducation #FurtherEducationandTraining #CommunityImpact #CrokeParkLaunch #FirstPointofContact

🌟 Gratitude and Excitement for the Future! 🌟 Thank you to Northern Illinois University for hosting our inaugural summit meeting with all of our incredible U.S. partners last month 🙌 We’re deeply appreciative of the valuable conversations, insights, and ideas shared by representatives from Northern Illinois University, University of Notre Dame, University of San Francisco, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Your contributions are shaping an exciting path forward, and we can’t wait to continue this meaningful work together in 2025! 🚀 #ActiveConsent #ConsentEducation #Collaboration #HigherEducation #USPartners #ThankYou #LookingAhead

A huge thank you to the Youthwork Traineeship staff & sudents at Cavan Institute who participated in Active* Consent student facilitator training recently. Year 2 of this fantastic initiative with students all set to rollout peer to peer consent workshops in the Department of Social Care at Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB)We shall be returning shortly to this wonderful institute who are so invested in providing their students with essential lifeskills, thanks again 👏SOLAS (An tSeirbhís Oideachais Leanúnaigh agus Scileanna) Education and Training Boards Ireland

Are you communicating clearly and listening to your partner(s)? Tomorrow is the International Day of Consent! Consent communication doesn't have to be complicated - it can actually make your experiences more pleasurable 🙌 Consent is Ongoing, Mutual and Freely Given - OMFG 🤩 Learn more on www.consenthub.ie This animation was created by Kinley Anderson as part of the Active* Artists project, led by Eva O'Byrne.

Yesterday we attended the Higher Education Authority North-South Research Programme Conference in Croke Park. The event was an opportunity for an exhibition of some of the brilliant projects funded by the HEA, including the COSHARE network. COSHARE is a cross-boarder research project on consent, sexual-violence and harassment led by Susan Lagdon, PhD from Queen's University Belfast and Padraig MacNeela from University of Galway.

Active* Consent was back in the states!🇺🇸 A big thank you to Northern Illinois University Outreach Graduate Assistants, Student Workers, Center for Black Studies, Counselling & Consultation Services Peer Educators, Latino Resource Center, Asian American Resource Center and the Ethic & Compliance Office for engaging with us 🙌 We are so grateful to the Prevention, Education        and Outreach office for their hospitality and for coordinating our visit so that we could share our resources. A very special shout out to all of the students who took part in our workshops last week, your voice and participation is integral to what we do ✨ #ActiveConsent #Consent #ConsentEducation #Collaboration #NIU

A reminder to get in contact with us if you are interested in attending, limited spaces left!

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we’re calling attention to the need of consent education in preventing violence and promoting healthy relationships 💙 Understanding and practicing consent is a fundamental step toward ending gender-based violence. Through education, we can challenge harmful behaviors, support survivors, and create communities built on respect and safety for everyone. Let’s work together to eliminate violence and build a future where consent is always understood, valued, and respected. Consent is ongoing, mutual and freely given for every relationship, gender and orientation. #16DaysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #ActiveConsent #ConsentEducation #ConsentisOMFG #IDEVAW