Sexual consent school crusade

Consent Crossroads aimed to encourage young people to seek consent correctly and understand the meaning of “yes” and “no,” which includes understanding non-verbal signals.

The drive was organised by Spectrum, a social enterprise which delivers integrated sexual health services across Wigan and Leigh, and ran in during Sexual Health Week.

The online campaign provided information on what constitutes “yes” and “no” responses, including a consent quiz and a powerful true story “Sophie Said No,” which addresses some of the issues with non-consent and how it can impact people.

Local schools were provided with resources on sexual consent to distribute to pupils during sexual health classes.

The relationships and sex education (RSE) team hosted a full-day event at Golborne High School, which focused on positive choices, risk and prevention.

The team delivered sessions to Atherton Community High School and Three Towers pupil referral unit, as well as attending a multi-agency safeguarding event with over 180 young people from across Wigan and Leigh.

Zoe Charnock, Spectrum’s RSE Team Leader for Wigan and Leigh said: “It is essential that young people are taught what consent means from an early age, not just giving and receiving consent, but also understanding that consent can be withdrawn at any time.

“When delivering consent lessons with young people, we facilitate discussions around freedom, capacity and choice and look at what can affect them.

“Some examples are alcohol, level of understanding, a learning disability or age.”

For more information on sexual consent, click here