Consent Ed Project
Consent Ed originated from strategic partnerships with TUSLA, Galway Rape Crisis, and Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre with funding from the European Union; Consent Ed currently sits within strategic partnerships between Cuan and GRCC, made possible with generous funding from the Department of Justice and Cuan, DSGBV Agency.
Whole School Approach
What is a Whole School Approach?
A whole school approach is a strategy that considers the interconnectedness of schools, communities, and families with the aim of improving the school environment for students, staff, and community members. This is pivotal to a whole school approach being successful as it ensures involvement of all members of the school community engaging in a collaborative process of change to improve specific areas of school life that impact on wellbeing. (gov.ie).
Why is a whole school approach important to sexual violence prevention?
When creating and implementing a whole school approach around sexual violence, sexual harassment, awareness and prevention it involves various stakeholders at the school level and local community. A whole school approach for sexual violence prevention can be seen as a tool to break down the barriers and stigma in society in relation to having difficult conversations around sexual activities and sexual violence with young people.
Ireland’s Third National Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Strategy presents a very clear aim of zero tolerance within our communities and society around DSGBV premised upon four pillars, ‘Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Policy co-ordination’. Collectively we can effect real change and this can be achieved from ‘grass root’ levels in communities, embracing the ethos of the ‘Prevention Pillar’ nurturing positive steps in DSGBV awareness and prevention.
Importantly, a whole school approach possesses a range of different activities/interventions with the aim of making schools safer, creating awareness of support services and supporting increased understanding of sexual violence and its effects. Collectively we all play a role in the learning and socialisation processes for young people, that is why a whole school approach will intrinsically link all this together and incorporate their participation and inclusion in it.
Physical, emotional and social safety – are basic needs and conditions that form the foundation for learning. It is important to ensure that an environment is created in which students feel safe and supported in these basic needs when participating in learning about sexual violence. A positive school climate and atmosphere nurtures self-confidence, boundaries and self-worth and promotes respectful and caring relationships throughout the school community and fosters a safe place for these conversations to start.
Curriculum
Our Junior Cycle content supports students to develop the skills required for healthy, happy relationships of all kinds, both platonic and romantic. We explore topics in an age-and-stage appropriate manner across First to Third Year.
Our First Year sessions cover essential topics such as boundaries, relationship expectations, healthy conflict resolution and communication. Students explore what all manner of healthy relationships look like, including platonic, familial and romantic relationships. Students are also tasked with identifying any trusted adults in their lives that they can turn to for help.
These sessions provide strong scaffolding for Second and Third Year Consent Ed sessions on topics such as consent, consent skills, sexual violence and harassment, sexting and image sharing, pornography and online sexual harm.
Please find below our Second Year sessions as a sample of the topics covered in the Consent Ed Junior Cycle Toolkit. To access our full toolkit, please register for our Consent Ed Teacher Training found at the Get Trained link.
Junior Cycle
- Session 1: Sexual Harassment
- Session 2: Online Sexual Harm
- Session 3: Sexting & Intimate Image Sharing
- Session 4: Grooming & Sexual Exploitation
Teacher Training
Educators play a pivotal role in shaping students’ understanding of consent and preventing sexual violence. Through comprehensive training, we equip educators and youth workers with the necessary tools, knowledge, and resources to create a safe learning environment in which to meaningfully engage young people and facilitate sensitive discussions.Get
Consent Ed originated from strategic partnerships with TUSLA, Galway Rape Crisis, and Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre with funding from the European Union; Consent Ed currently sits within strategic partnerships between Cuan and GRCC, made possible with generous funding from the Department of Justice and Cuan, DSGBV Agency.
