Trent University, Fleming College, and their student associations are encouraging communication around sexual consent through a new campaign aimed at post-secondary students and the public.

The campaign #DoYouTalkConsent? is a partnership between Trent, Fleming the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre (KSAC), and PARN-Your Community AIDS Resource Network, and includes a series of posters and a video.

“Helping students find the language to negotiate consent is an important part of sexual assault prevention,” said Ruth Walker, clinical team leader, Health Services at Trent University. “We are also proud of the collaboration between our post-secondary institutions, student unions, KSAC, and PARN, which reflects our community-wide efforts to address the issue of sexual violence.”

“We want to encourage people to have more communication around sexual consent and what that looks like in practice,” said Amie Kroes, Fleming College’s Student Rights and Responsibilities Officer. “Negotiation of consent, specifically in situations where one or both parties have been consuming alcohol, can get complicated. Seeing positive, pro-social messaging around how to negotiate consent in those cases is our goal.”

The posters feature three scenarios – two at a bar and one at a home – in which two acquaintances are depicted in conversation. They have met through friends at a bar, and throughout the night begin to negotiate sexual consent.

“So often we hear the messages of ‘No Means No,’ but what if we never hear ‘No’? What are some of the other ways that indicate that there may be a question of sexual consent?” asks Lisa Clarke, Community Engagement Manager at Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre.

The posters will be shared on campuses, as well as digitally on social media. The #DoYouTalkConsent video will be shared on the social media accounts of the campaign partners. You can follow the campaign through the hashtags #DoYouTalkConsent? #FlemingTalksConsent #TrentTalksConsent.