Laura Currer FRSA’s Post

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Thought Leader & Consultant in Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse | NED | Speaker | Coach & Mentor | MVAWG | Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Lived Experience Expert | Trainee Psychotherapist

Up and out on the early flight to London this morning as later today I will be speaking to over 100 students, and their teachers, about consent ✈️ These young women are on the cusp of leaving school and entering further education, which poses unique challenges when it comes to navigating the world of relationships and consent. While there are lots of practical tips given to students around managing this transition to university, my key take away is this: ➡️ It’s impossible to navigate consent and understand what you DON’T want if you have no concept of what you DO want. If we teach women from an early age that their voices don’t matter, that what feels good for them is irrelevant, and that they have no jurisdiction over their own bodily autonomy, then true consent becomes a moot point. 🔸 Because, if something happens that they don’t feel okay with, do they even realise that it’s not okay? 🔸 That it matters if something isn’t what they want, that they don’t enjoy it or that it doesn’t feel good? 🔸 That they don’t have to do it just because their partner likes it or they think it’s what’s expected? 🔸 Do they feel able to say no and assert boundaries around their own body? 🔸 Even if they do realise that something was not okay, do they feel able to act on that? Report it? Or do they feel like it’s pointless, not worth it, or they won’t be believed? These are often not conscious thoughts, they are deeply mired and layered, buried so far down that you don’t even realise that true consent is an option for you and that pleasure and mutuality is a possibility. One of the questions I hear most frequently from women- strong, powerful, informed women- is “does this [experience] count?”. Many of us have stories like that. Sadly, the answer almost 100% of the time is ‘yes’. Consent is a far bigger conversation than what happens in one moment, one situation, one incident. If we want meaningful consent, the conversation must start far earlier and take a far different form. I’m looking forward to facilitating a conversation like that with these wonderful young women today. #consent #sexeducation #phsce #genderbasedviolence #unwomen #sexualviolence #training #education

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Chelsea Dale

Police Officer at Northumbria Police

7mo

Amazing 🙌🏻🤍

Anne H. Chatroux

Empowering Inclusive Leaders | Leadership Development, Coaching, and Consulting

7mo

Fantastic post Laura Currer FRSA, such an important conversation and like so many conversations in this space much more fundamental than they often had! Thank you for this your commitment in this important societal shift.

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