A special talk is taking place at The Hive next week, aimed at helping adults have discussions with young people about sex and consent in all areas of life.
Consent from Early Years to Teens with Holly Barnes-Bennetts will examine the issue of consent and look at how we might go about embedding it as a concept in the minds of the next generation from their early years.
The talk will discuss teaching children and young people to understand their own bodily autonomy, develop personal boundaries while respecting the boundaries and autonomy of others.
This will lead into a discussion on how to support the development of these practices in teenagers, particularly in the area of sexual intimacy.
Holly Barnes-Bennetts, who is a Lecturer in Media and Film Studies and a Cultural Studies Researcher in Consent. She carries out work in schools to educate young people on the issue of consent.
She said: “Often, when I go into schools, that’s the first time that those students are coming into contact with the issue of consent, when they’re 13-15. They haven’t been taught it before so I’m having to teach them about things like bodily autonomy and boundaries.”
She continued: “This talk is aimed at anyone who has contact with children and young people, and it’s not just for parents. Children have different kinds of adults in their lives, and if you work with children professionally, such as a social worker or in nursing, to be able to understand how to support children to develop those understandings of consent at an early age is useful, so it’s aimed at a broad range of people.”
The talk takes place at The Hive on Tuesday 21st May between 6:30-8PM and is free to attend.
Book your place now by visiting www.thehiveworcester.org/whats-on.html
For information on courses at University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk