Teach Us Consent receives $3.5 million in federal budget to reach more young Australians
Aussie teens will be taught about healthy relationships, sex and consent through social media content produced by their peers under a $3.5m investment ending years of cringey education attempts.
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Aussie teens will be taught about healthy relationships, sex and consent through social media content produced by their peers under a $3.5 million investment ending years of failed attempts to educate young people.
The days of cringey taxpayer-funded campaigns like the infamous “milkshake” consent videos are no more, with the federal government to announce on Friday it will fund advocacy group Teach Us Consent to create resources aimed at fostering positive attitudes and behaviours about relationships.
This funding will also support a youth-led expert advisory group to provide advice on how to effectively engage young people on consent and sexual violence prevention.
Teach Us Consent founder Chanel Contos, who sparked a national conversation about teenage sex after exposing Australia’s inadequate education around healthy relationships, said the investment would be a “breakthrough” for sexual violence and consent education.
“There needs to be a holistic approach to consent education in Australia and I’m excited for Teach Us Consent to be able to amplify the work of experts and educators to build on the positive messages around consent and sexual violence that young people will receive in more formal settings,” she said.
“Teach Us Consent has always been about bringing the voices of youth to the desks of policy makers. The creation of a youth-led expert advisory group will take this aspect of our work to the next level.
“Young people need to have their voices heard and reflected in the messages they receive about what consent means and what behaviour is acceptable.”
Despite promises under the previous government, Teach Us Consent has not received direct funding to support its work before this budget.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said young people needed evidence-based and age-appropriate resources to help them understand consent and healthy relationships.
“We know Australians are experiencing sexual violence at an alarming rate, particularly younger age groups, with one in five women having experienced sexual violence since the age of 15,” she said.
“Evidence shows that improving attitudes and understanding, along with building the capacity of young people to have conversations about consent, is a key method of prevention of sexual harm and violence.”
Ms Rishworth said violence against women and children was a problem of “epidemic proportions” in Australia.
“The impact of this ripples out across families in Australia, communities and society – including as a result of sexual violence,” she said.
“This will ultimately reduce sexual violence among young people, who are at a heightened risk of both experiencing and perpetrating this kind of violence. We want to be evidence-based and invest in things that work.”
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Originally published as Teach Us Consent receives $3.5 million in federal budget to reach more young Australians
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