Consent, sexual assault, and the law
Workshop summary
This introductory-level workshop explores consent from both a values-based perspective and a criminal law perspective and supports participants to create a culture of consent that goes far beyond the requirements of the colonial legal system. It also looks at both legal and non-legal options available to adult survivors of sexual assault.
Although the criminal legal system is flawed, knowing how it works can be helpful for survivors to make informed decisions and for the people in their lives to offer information and resources that can support survivors’ self-determination.
Consent, Sexual Assault, and the Law is a redevelopment of our former Only Yes Means Yes workshop. We are grateful to the community advisors who helped West Coast LEAF create the original version of this workshop and to those who helped us redevelop our curriculum.
Details
Please contact Alana by email at workshops@westcoastleaf.org or by text or phone at 778-488-8860 (this is a work cell number shared among several West Coast LEAF staff members).
- People aged 19+ in BC who are looking for an introduction to laws and legal processes surrounding sexual assault, through a survivor-centered lens
- Not limited to participants who are survivors themselves
The workshop takes at least 5 hours, broken up over at least two sessions.
If optional activities and topics are added, the workshop requires at least 6 hours broken up over at least three sessions.
At an introductory level:
- Understand how the criminal legal system defines consent and sexual assault
- Explore some legal and non-legal options for adults after sexual assault
- Identify strategies for practicing values-based consent and challenging the root causes of violence
How can participants use the information from the workshop?
- To apply consent practices and values in their own lives
- To make informed decisions about legal and non-legal options if they have experienced sexual assault
- To offer information and resources to survivors in their lives which can support informed decision-making
- Opening conversations: Land acknowledgement and reflection, group guidelines, participant introductions, resource list (~45 minutes)
- Values-based understandings of consent: FRIES model and brainstorm of words and images reflecting consent values (~20 minutes)
- Criminal legal definitions of sexual assault and consent (~20 minutes)
- Scenario activity about legal standards of consent and what more is required for consent from a values-based perspective (~20 minutes)
- Brainstorm of strategies for consent: checking in with others and ourselves (~20 minutes)
- Options for not reporting or reporting to police and related statistics (~20 minutes)
- Brainstorm of other pathways for support, justice, or healing for survivors (~15 minutes)
- Overview of other legal options: civil lawsuits, human rights complaints, restorative justice programs (~25 minutes)
- Activity on the root causes of violence in society and strategies for challenging them (~15 minutes)
- Group input on the next phase of this project (~10 minutes)
Additionally, for each workshop session, please budget 40 minutes for opening, check-in, break, closing round, and feedback forms.
Optional topics and activities:
- Clip from the movie The Notebook and discussion of media messages about consent (~15 minutes)
- Brainstorm about power: How it affects relationships and relates to law (~15 minutes)
Because we want everyone to get the best possible support, we ask participants not to share stories about experiences of violence during the workshop (except one-to-one with the support person). These stories can affect others in the room in challenging ways, and the facilitators don’t have the training or capacity to hold them in the best possible way.
For similar reasons, we can’t get into legal advice or legal discussion of specific situations that participants or people in their lives are going through.
Facilitators will offer a resource list so participants can connect with specialized emotional, legal, and practical supports.
- We ask that host organizations identify someone who can act as a support person during the workshop for participants who would like someone to talk to. This does not have to be a trained counsellor or support worker. It can be anyone who is prepared to be a non-judgmental active listener and talk with participants about the list of resources for support.
- Facilitators need to be able to contact participants before the workshop (by email or text message) to gather information about their access needs and share information about what to expect.
- The workshop sessions should be scheduled no more than two weeks apart.
Education specialists on West Coast LEAF’s team
We offer a sliding scale. We recommend an honorarium of at least $750 per five-hour workshop. We can sometimes offer a lower fee or waive the fee if cost would be a barrier for your group.
On Zoom or in person in Metro Vancouver. Where staff capacity and funding permit, we may occasionally be able to offer this workshop in other areas of BC.
Acknowledgements
- Aliana Juma
- Billie Jeanne Sinclair
- Carrie
- Cheyenne Maya-Stevens
- Cheyenne Pamamakos Stonechild
- Chihiro Ebara
- Christina Carlick
- Diana Day, Founder, Indigenous Women Rise, Oneida Nation
- E.k
- Gabrielle Peters
- Huuyatlh (Tabatha Frank), Tla-o-qui-aht/Ahousaht/Muchalaht First Nations
- Dr. JJ Wright
- Janet Keitlah
- Jill Lowndes
- Lee, Liberty-Shuswap
- Megan Birtch
- Nermin Karim, OD, JD, LLM, North Shore Restorative Justice Society
- nour kachouh, Rainbow Refugee Society
- Muskikiway, Treaty 4
- MP, Boston Bar First Nation
- Palexelsiya Lorelei Williams, Butterflies in Spirit
- Rachel Vukovich
- Raven Whitehead
- Rebecca Jules
- Ronnie Seymour
- S.
- Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre
- Sadaf Farhoodi
- Sarah Runyon
- Serenity
- Shannen McGreevy
- Thembelihle Moyo
- Vanisa Punwani
- Yiwen Tao
The development of this workshop was made possible by generous funding from the Law Foundation of BC, Silver Gummy Foundation, Health Sciences Association, the Province of British Columbia, Impacts, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia for the ongoing delivery of this workshop.
