Middle & High School
As kids begin puberty, schools and parents tend to focus on consent in terms of protecting against sexual violence and the legal consequences of consent violations.
While these are essential learnings, knowing the laws around consent and “how to get consent” hasn't been effective in reducing sexual violence and increasing consent practices.
At the middle and high school level, Comprehensive Consent builds students’ social-emotional consent skills by using research-informed methods to give tweens and teens the space to explore their own perspectives on consent practices. This allows students to think critically and self-generate answers on how to treat themselves and others.
Contact us now to bring Comprehensive Consent education to your school.
“I met Sarah at the NASPA conference when she did a presentation. My boss and I loved her so much that we thought her messaging would be helpful for our campus. Not only do I feel like working with Sarah was useful, I think the language that she left us with will be super helpful in how we shape our curriculum, policies, and behaviors in the future. Sarah is knowledgeable, thoughtful, and well-practiced. I enjoyed her being on campus and hope to work alongside Sarah to shift culture in the future.”
— Brandon, High School Health Teacher
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In the foundational 3-session series, students learn about consent an ongoing social-emotional practice that respects a person’s personal and bodily autonomy.
Session 1: Students learn that consent is about more than “getting a yes.” Students will be guided through mindfulness exercises, activities, and conversation that engages them to, not only think about, but to feel, the importance of respecting others’ boundaries.
Session 2: Students begin to learn the different components of practicing consent and the multiple skills required to practice consent, on all sides of an interaction. Students will be challenged to think about the barriers to practicing consent.
Session 3: Students learn the last few components of consent and practice some of the skills they’ve learned. Students will then be guided in a conversation on how social dynamics like age, authority, popularity, gender, etc. impact consent in our world today.
To bring this program to your school, email Sarah sarah@comprehensiveconsent.com.
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Consent Shake-Up is comprised of a one-time workshop and accompanying discussion guide (to allow for ongoing conversations) that gives students the opportunity to think critically about what they’ve heard about consent, consider what consent looks like in real life, and reflect on the nuances of ethically practicing consent in the moment.
Rather than an educator telling students what consent is, Consent Shake-Up utilizes research-informed practices to facilitate careful conversations between peers about their relational ethics.
To bring this program to your school, email Sarah at sarah@comprehensiveconsent.com.
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As a parent, you don’t just want your child to understand consent as the opposite of sexual assault. You want more than for your child not to commit a crime, or not have a crime committed against them. You want them to be thoughtful decision-makers with the tools to cultivate healthy relationships.
Comprehensive Consent offers sessions to parents and caregivers that support them in understanding what it means to teach consent to kids and how they can reinforce the value of consent in the home.
To bring parent programming to your school, email Sarah at sarah@comprehensiveconsent.com.
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Whether we realize it or not, we are always teaching our students. They observe our behavior, hear our conversations, and take note of our decisions. When a school culture doesn’t reflect the values being preached in the classroom, we undermine these important initiatives and reinforce the exact habits we’re trying to help students avoid.
Comprehensive Consent offers schools a 90-minute presentation to support their understanding of consent as a dynamic interpersonal practice and gives them the tools to successfully apply what they learn to their everyday interactions with students and colleagues.
To book Sarah for a professional development session, email Sarah at sarah@comprehensiveconsent.com.
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Within a sexual assault processs, Comprehensive Consent provides psychoeducational support to all parties impacted by the experience.
Survivors of sexual harm often need support in dealing with victim-blaming, understanding why they may have had trouble saying no, and making sense of the social and emotional aspects of their experience. Perpetrators and alleged perpetrators need support, too. Most young people get mixed messages about sexual scripts. Students may learn that consent is required, while at the same time, consuming media that shows harmful ways of interacting.
Comprehensive Consent provides one-on-one education and support to help students in both scenarios. We provide education to help survivors understand their in-the-moment responses and break down myths about fault and blame. We provide education to help alleged perpetrators understand the factors that may have impacted their choices, overcome the barriers to making decisions that align with their values, and take accountability when they cause harm.
Regardless of the investigative outcomes, schools have the opportunity to provide all of their students with care, support, and education.
I hope that your school never finds itself in this situation. If it ever does, I hope you will keep Comprehensive Consent in mind.
Comprehensive Consent, Inc. does not handle legal matters. We are an educational company focused on teaching consent as a social-emotional practice to kids, teens, and emerging adults.
For more information, email Sarah at sarah@comprehensiveconsent.com.
Workshops are offered virtually and in-person throughout the greater NYC area. Custom workshops are available upon request.
94% of workshop students "Totally" or "Mostly" agree that "These classes helped me better understand the barriers to practicing consent.”
92% of workshop students "Totally" or "Mostly" agree that "These classes have helped me feel more prepared to practice consent."