TW: Discussion of sexual assault
In 2021, consent activist Chanel Contos sparked a national – and later international – movement when she invited young women to share their experiences of sexual assault while in the Australian school system. Her groundbreaking petition and campaign demanding holistic – and earlier – consent education received 45,000 signatures, while 6,700 people came forward with experiences of sexual assault. As a result of Chanel’s advocacy, consent education became mandatory in all Australian schools from Kindergarten until Year 10.
It was Chanel’s activism that made Brisbane Girls Grammar School want to empower their students, and spark important conversations around consent and the work that still needed to be done to make the country safer for young women. School Principal Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh reflects that it was Chanel’s activism and the subsequent reforms that “heightened our attention and reinforced the importance of students engaging in in-depth discussions around sexual consent education.”
To platform and spark these important conversations, the school created a podcast episode with two students – who discussed both what changes they believe still need to be made in society – and also what can be done within the Brisbane Girls Grammar School and community. Euler Welsh reflects that for many students, the podcast episode sparked new, important conversations around consent education – with many students telling teachers that it is “the first time they had considered, or openly discussed the topic of consent,” Euler Welsh says.
The school wanted this initial podcast episode to become an ongoing discussion – not just something that was reactive to media coverage or changes to the education curriculum. So to keep that conversation going, they decided to release two new episodes this month.
These new episodes include two of the schools’ longest serving teachers: Director of HPE, Mr Stephen Fogarty, and Head of HPE—Curriculum Development, Ms Jane Martel, to review what has changed for educators since this time and discuss what still lies ahead. “By creating two updated episodes in 2024, we hope we can continue the dialogue about sexual consent education both within our student body, but also amongst our educators,” says Euler Welsh.
Euler Welsh notes that consent education has undergone a cultural shift over the last few years. “At [Brisbane] Girls Grammar, sexual consent education has been a part of our teaching for many years. It has, however, evolved over time as cultural shifts occur and the needs of students evolve too,” she says.
“What initially began as general constructs around consent more broadly, has evolved to include more explicit teaching of concepts including stealthing, revenge porn, sexting, and sexuality. How we teach has changed too and, naturally, using a student-centred approach works best for our students, which includes using anonymous surveys to ensure the girls do not leave the classroom with unanswered questions.”
Despite the progress made over the last three years, Euler Welsh believes more work needs to be done around consent education in high schools. “To provide a holistic, age-appropriate education for students around sexual consent education, we feel students should be provided with an education that is relevant to not only their age and year level, but their individual emotional maturity.
“There is a range of topics which we cover in our teaching, but what is most important is that it is done at the time that an individual student is ready. The girls are briefed on what content might be covered in their classes and provided the opportunity to ask questions about additional topics, but also have the choice to opt out, when and if needed,” she says.
“Our teachers also receive additional training and education when it comes to sexual consent education, and we understand it is important to balance using both curriculum-driven content and also external educational providers. While every school will educate in their own way to suit their particular content, we are committed to practices that prepare our girls and young women for their current lives and the future.”
While the journey towards holistic consent education – and making Australia a safe place for young women – is ongoing, it’s clear that Brisbane Girls Grammar Schools’ commitment to continuing these conversations is unwavering.
As the school community, including both teachers and students, engage in powerful conversations around consent, the school is playing its part in continuing the powerful ripple effect of Chanel Contos’ advocacy.
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