What is Consent.Ed?
At LSE and LSE Students’ Union we are committed to making sure campus is a safe and supportive community for everyone, where we tackle sexual violence head on. To help us do this, we launched Consent.Ed.
Consent.Ed is a two-part educational programme developed by the university to explore issues around sexual consent, providing an opportunity for us to discuss how we can look out for one another and create a positive, respectful consent culture, where everyone feels safe on campus.
We all benefit from learning more about what it means to seek and give consent, as well as how to safely intervene when a situation isn’t quite right. The sessions will empower you to become an active bystander and make positive decisions about your own relationships and interactions with others.
Attending Consent.Ed is also a requirement for several opportunities at LSE. This includes being a leader or on the committee of a student society or club, as well as if you want to attend some of the biggest LSE Students’ Union events throughout the year.
It is expected of you and everyone in the LSE community to take part in Consent.Ed.
What do I need to do?
Consent.Ed comes in two steps: online training and an in-person workshop.
All students are expected to complete the online Consent.Ed course before coming to campus.
All students are then expected to attend an in-person Consent.Ed session.
The in-person Consent.Ed sessions are 1.5 hour-long workshops led by a diverse body of trained student facilitators. They are delivered by LSE students, for LSE students, in order to create a safe and comfortable environment where everyone can participate and share their ideas on what it means to give and receive consent.
The sessions will be held on campus and in all LSE halls of residence in the first few weeks of term. All residents are expected to attend if they feel able to.
As mentioned above, attending Consent.Ed also allows students to attend some of the university’s biggest social events throughout the year, as well as enabling students to take on positions of responsibility in the broad range of sports, academic and recreational societies that exist within LSESU.
CONTENT WARNING: Both the online and in-person course discusses topics of sexual assault, harassment, abuse and rape. We recognise the sensitive nature of Consent.Ed and students who feel unable to participate for personal reasons can opt out, as discussed below. Please note that we will also hold survivors-only sessions alongside our open sessions.
STEP 1: COMPLETING YOUR ONLINE TRAINING
The online training course is a great starting point, aiming to empower students to make positive decisions about their own relationships and interactions with others and provide information on where you can get support whilst you are studying at LSE. The training takes approximately around 15 minutes, but you can complete it at your own pace.
The course is now live! You can complete the online training here[1] [2] !
STEP 2: BOOKING YOUR IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS
As mentioned above, the in-person sessions will be led by LSE students who are trained to facilitate discussion in a safe environment.
All sessions are free. You just need to sign up for an event on your student hub.
We recognise the sensitivity of the topic and have chosen the content we cover carefully. We’ve worked hard to make sure the course is as informative, and inclusive as possible. We will also be offering survivor-led workshops, which you can read more about and book below, if you feel you would be more comfortable in that space. Alternatively, you can also opt-out entirely by filling out the linked form below.
As we recognise the sensitive nature of Consent.Ed, we will be offering survivor-only workshops, to create a carefully tailored space for discussion. These workshops are led by survivors and experts from an external organisation called Not The Only One[1] , with additional workshops aimed solely for LGBTQ+ survivors and BAME survivors. These sessions are also listed in the student hub and will be labeled ‘Consent.ed survivors only workshop’.
Not The Only One is a unique initiative for students who have experienced sexual violence at any point in their life, including child sexual abuse. Their work is unambiguously survivor-led and co-developed with students at a range of universities.
The survivor consent workshops are open only to students who have experienced some form of sexual violence / abuse. This could have been non-physical, a one-time experience, a long time ago - or something that has happened in different ways at different times. All genders and sexualities are welcome.
The workshops provide a space to learn about and discuss consent in a trauma-informed
manner together with other survivors. Each workshop is a survivor only space run in a small
group and facilitated by two members of Not The Only One. They will not ask you to discuss
your experience(s).
For students who feel unable to participate for personal reasons, you can also opt out. In order to do this, please fill out the linked form please click here.
We understand that you may have concerns about the sensitive nature of Consent.Ed. We've designed the course and the in person sessions to be empowering, and we've tried to be sensitive about the content. You do not have to participate in this course should you feel unable to do so and you can opt out altogether here. We encourage anyone concerned about the content or attending Consent.Ed to email us, or if you have any questions at all, please reach out to su.info@lse.ac.uk.