Impacting Society
At Johnston & Marsh Training & Consultancy Ltd, we are passionate about wider societal change. Education happens within the context of a larger community. Our approach extends beyond the school and the workplace to help ensure people of all ages have the necessary support to combat and challenge the rising levels of sexual violence and other criminal justice issues.
Instagram Survey 2021
On 14th July 2021, we ran a poll on our Instagram account (@jandmtcltd) which asked followers about their experiences of receiving education on sexual violence at school.
When asked “did your school offer sexual education on sexual violence?”, 100 % of 33 voters answered “no.”
When asked “would it have benefited you to receive education on sexual violence?”, 94 % of 29 voters answered “yes.”
Examples
Here are some examples of answers to how this would have benefited ex-pupils at school.
· “Knowing that what happened to me wasn’t my fault” - victim blaming is rife within the field of sexual assault. Our sessions highlight that the victim is never to blame, despite the existence of the myth of victim blaming.
· “I was working a part time job, had my bum pinched twice by senior staff. This would’ve encouraged me to feel confident enough to report this issue” - our sessions highlight that this behaviour without consent is not ‘playful banter’. It needs to be reported.
· “I would have been able to recognise exploitation”
· “Would have taught some boys that sometimes their actions constitute sexual harassment” - educating boys about the conduct and behaviour is a core tenet of our sessions.
· “Learning what it actually means! Learning boundaries! Not being taken advantages of when drunk at young ages and not knowing what it actually means!” - students will leave the sessions knowing what consent actually means.
· “Maybe I would have known that I had been sexually assaulted at the time it happened and not years later when I felt like nothing could be done as it was too late” - again, the re-affirimation that you need to consent to any activity is fundamentally important. We want pupils to feel comfortable sexually developing but provide them with the confidence to say ‘no’ and understand that ‘no’ means no!
· “I would have realised that my boyfriend having sex with me whilst asleep was rape” - the session on sexual assault will allow students to understand that sexual intercourse without consent is rape. The students will recognise that consent can be withdrawn at any stage.
· “To educate on the importance of consent, relationship or not” - our first session spells out the meaning of consent and how you do not have to give it.
· “Knowing what happened was wrong. Not that it was normal like I was told” - students will learn the difference between consensual and non-consensual behaviour.
How do we help?
As our survey demonstrates, there is a clear gap in school education surrounding consent and what constitutes appropriate behaviour. Our sessions will cover what is and is not appropriate, how to obtain valid consent and the ramifications of the inappropriate behaviour. It also demonstrates the important role both awareness and education play in effort to dismantle the prevalence and culture of sexual violence surrounding school-aged children. Our survey, alongside the Everyone’s Invited website and the recent OFSTED report highlight how rife these issues are. Our program will help educate your pupils about appropriate behaviour and will play a part in not only educating pupils about these issues but reduce the instances of sexual harassment in your school. *Thank you to everybody that participated in this poll.
More information coming on how Johnston & Marsh Training & Consultancy Ltd are supporting their communities.