Former Studio 10 host Yumi Stynes to release children’s book about consent

Former TV host Yumi Stynes is releasing a children’s book about consent, which she hopes will be added to school reading lists.

Former Studio 10 presenter Yumi Stynes is releasing a children’s book about consent.

The book entitled Welcome to Consent explores “when to say no, when to say yes and everything in between” and is aimed at everyone from kids as young as 6 to adults.

“Consent is a hot topic right now but it always has been,” Stynes told Confidential.

“The target audience is anyone, really. I really want this book to be on the school reading lists of every Year 8 student. But I think there are plenty of people beyond teenagers who would benefit from reading this book: athletes, politicians, parents, footy teams.”

Yumi Stynes will release a book entitled Welcome to Consent. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Stynes, 45, teamed up with health expert Dr. Melissa Kang, known as “the original Dolly Doctor”, to produce “an inclusive, frank and funny guide to navigating consent.”

“Consent is covered off as a basic concept that humans use every day,” said Stynes.

“For instance, when someone asks - ‘Do you want to come over for a playdate after school?’ Consent is sought, and consent is given.

“Consent can get very tricky during puberty and adolescence when people are trying out new things. They are inexperienced. They are excited! Those new things may be sexual. They may be holding hands, kissing, touching. In the book Welcome to Consent we talk a lot about how overwhelming those experiences can be when they’re new and you don’t know what you’re doing - and the steps you can take to make sure you’re respecting someone else’s boundaries, and your own.”

Yumi Stynes’ new book about consent.

The mother-of-four believes that the book, which retails for $19.50 and is scheduled for release in June, is a great tool for parents who may be uncomfortable having potentially awkward conversations.

“Dr Melissa Kang and I were workshopping what our next book should be after Welcome to Your Period and we asked ourselves, ‘What’s the most pressing issue for young people?’,” she said.

“Dr Melissa was ‘Dolly Doctor’ for more than 20 years. People still tell me that she was the one authority they could trust to be honest and informed about things that sometimes made their parents and teachers squirm - often questions to do with sex, bodies and adolescent relationships.

Former Studio 10 host Yumi Stynes is outspoken about women’s rights issues and gender equality.

“We know that people want to talk about consent with their kids, but there’s a bit of a knowledge gap. Our parents didn’t have those conversations with us, so we don’t necessarily know what to say as parents to our own children.”

Consent has been a hot-button issue in recent weeks following bombshell allegations made by former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins, who claims she was raped by a former colleague inside Parliament House in 2019.

Stynes has been a vocal advocate for women’s rights over the years and in 2018 she detailed the sexual harassment she and her teenage daughters have faced from complete strangers.

That same year she hosted a documentary series for SBS titled Is Australia Sexist?, based on a survey led by Macquarie University which explored gender equality in Australia.