In this extra post, Cynthia Ellis highlights the work done through The Consent Collective in collaboration with The University of Edinburgh. Cynthia is co-founder of The Consent Collective, a not-for-profit organisation that develops a sophisticated approach to wellbeing and mental health, inclusive of conversations around trauma, sexual harassment, and sexual and domestic violence.
At The Consent Collective, we are looking forward to entering another academic year with staff and students at The University of Edinburgh. We have been supporting staff and students in their conversations about consent, gender and sexual harassment since 2018, and we’re proud to continue providing resources to support these important conversations.
Our content ranges from supportive resources to direct students to if they disclose to you that they have experienced sexual harassment, educational material to help your students think about consent in a more sophisticated way, and resources to help start and hold these conversations as part of your role at the university.
What is Consent Collective TV
Consent Collective TV is available to all staff and students at the University. It is a library of expertly curated content to support conversations and programmes of work around consent, sexual harassment, sexual harm, and the topics that relate to these society-wide conversations. These topics have become increasingly intrinsic to a holistic education model over the past years as guidance from the Office for Students and the Equally Safe framework in Scotland, for instance, make clear: these topics are now a priority item on the agenda as part of a successful education pathway.
Using Consent Collective TV resources means that you can use our expert-led content in order to bolster your already existing work, be that in the capacity of student support, or bringing consent conversations into your specific academic area, such as law, business, healthcare, criminology, where consent is already an important part of the curriculum. It is not only as part of course work but as part of the skills students need to progress to a successful career. Here you can listen to our founder, Dr Nina Burrowes, delivering a guest lecture at the University, Consent, safeguarding, sexual harassment and your future career talking in detail about this. (NOTE: please sign in to TV using your university email address before following the link in order to be correctly directed).
The content available on Consent Collective TV is purposefully creative and full of variety because no one message can reach the diverse audiences that make up staff and student populations. From our gameshow podcast, ‘How to be good in bed’, to cooking shows, to Collective Thinking panel events, our curated psychoeducational content helps to engage university communities more widely. You can listen to your own UoE gameshow episodes and Collective Thinking panel discussions here on your landing page.
For some of you as educators, you are already experts at teaching skills and preparing students for their future. Consent is a skill that is part of this journey, and it is possible to support your students to develop this skill. And no, that doesn’t mean you will need to talk about sex. Consent is relevant to all areas of life. It is about navigating difference and power with successful interpersonal skills that help everyone feel heard. These are the interpersonal skills that will help your students navigate job contracts, personal and professional conflict, and they are the skills that will help make them the managers and leaders of the future. Consent Collective TV is there to support you with these conversations, whether they are an official part of your role, or they land with you because you are the person your student has chosen to speak to when they need support.
And if you’re looking for a sophisticated, interesting way to bring these conversations to your cohort of students, consider our new 5-day series, ‘Go Deeper with Consent’, where upon sign-up students receive a different video to their inbox each day for 5 days starting with ‘Consent. It’s as simple as a global pandemic’.
To find out more about the role of consent in the classroom listen to this podcast episode made in collaboration with the Teaching Matters team back in March 2021: Consent as an embodied practice in the classroom. If you have any specific questions regarding Consent Collective TV and how it could support you in your role, feel free to let us know at hello@consentcollective.com.
Link to The University of Edinburgh landing page, where staff and students can sign into Consent Collective TV:https://www.consentcollective.com/edinburgh
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Cynthia Ellis
Cynthia is the co-founder of The Consent Collective, and helps organisations develop a sophisticated approach to wellbeing and mental health, inclusive of conversations around trauma, sexual harassment, and sexual and domestic violence. She supports university partners in using Consent Collective TV resources as part of the growing number of initiatives in tackling gender-based violence, consent education and student campaigns.