York University students, staff and faculty are invited to join the Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education (The Centre) as they raise awareness about consent during Consent Week at York U, Oct. 7 to 11.
“Through this week, we hope to continue fostering the ongoing dialogue of the importance of consent in our everyday lives as we navigate the world, both within campus and outside of campus,” said Joanie Cameron Pritchett, director of Community Support & Services. “We invite all of our community members to join us as we navigate consent within a variety of disciplines. Consent week includes a multitude of events to reach out to our students, staff and faculty [including] discussions, training, workshops and lectures both on Glendon and Keele Campuses.”
Consent Week will start with The Centre hosting a photo booth, art installation, art therapy session and a beading workshop, and end by cheering on the York Lion’s Soccer Teams as they take on Laurier during Community Day Game. Throughout the week, The Centre will have a presence in the Upper Bear Pit on Keele Campus to raise awareness about consent and distribute free promotional items. There are limited spots at some events including the Art Therapy Session and Beading Workshop, so Pritchett advised that community members who are interested in attending should register early by sending an email to thecentre@yorku.ca.
This is the first Consent Week at York University. The idea was born from the positive feedback from successful previous training and education sessions that The Centre has provided for the community.
“In the past we’ve done many trainings/workshops with our community and met with various departments to provide information when invited,” said Jessica Thyriar, education and training specialist for The Centre.
“We’ve had positive feedback, and always taken input from our community members that we need more awareness for our entire community of students, staff and faculty. That’s why this year we were focused on creating an entire week of events.”
By bringing in experts to provide insight and continuing to raise awareness around consent, The Centre hopes Consent Week at York U also helps raise awareness about the supports and services offered by their office, staff, peers and external partners.
“We’ve always been working to raise awareness around consent, but as the new term begins we wanted to include a variety of opportunities to engage with our external partners to learn, unlearn and be aware that support is always available should they need it,” said Pritchett. “We’re here for survivors on our campus, but also those who support survivors, engage in this type of work or for those who want more information.”
The Centre team plans to host Consent Week twice a year, alongside yearly programming. To learn more about Consent Week at York U, visit: thecentre.yorku.ca/consent-week/.
To learn more about the services offered by The Centre, visit thecentre.yorku.ca.