Pádraig MacNeela
Principal Investigator and Co-Lead, Active* Consent
Clarissa DiSantis
Education & Training Lead, Active* Consent
Learn how to support boys and young men in building consent skills, emotional resilience and healthy relationships.
There is increasing recognition that young people need support to achieve emotional resilience, personal confidence and genuine connections with the people around them — with increasing concern about how to ensure that boys and young men achieve these life skills. We, at the Active* Consent team at the University of Galway, contribute to this goal by encouraging young people and the adults who support them to have consent conversations.
Conversations on consent education
Active* Consent carries out research on consent, sexual violence and harassment. We create and deliver educational workshops and resources for young people, teachers, parents and professionals. What have we learned from this? Boys and young men are open to conversations on consent education with the right supports — including receiving the right information, being listened to and having their views valued.
Up to 80% of boys and young men agree that you should ask for consent before any form of intimacy, including kissing or touching. A large majority also say that their peers agree that consent is important.
How can parents, teachers and peers
help promote active consent culture
and healthy relationships?
Consent is still under-discussed
Do we have a positive and active consent culture across our society? Unfortunately, the answer is no, partly because consent is not being talked about enough. Half of the young adult men we surveyed said that they have not discussed consent with a friend or heard consent being discussed by peers. While we worry about the impact of pornography and social media on sexual attitudes, far more young men tell us that their sex education was formed by parents, friends, romantic partners and school.
Empowering consent through resources and support
How can parents, teachers and peers help promote active consent culture and healthy relationships? We offer eLearning, group workshops and drama-based resources for young people, plus the training adults need to bring these safely into an educational environment. We also have a masculinity workshop that engages young men on empathy, communication and compassion, which are essential to inclusive and respectful environments.
Take one action this week
We recommend three steps to successful consent conversations:
Talk: Start a conversation with a young man in your life about the importance of consent and emotional openness. Use real-life examples from media or current affairs.
Share: Share your own experiences and insights regarding relationships, respect and vulnerability. Your openness can inspire others.
Listen: Take the time to listen to a young man’s thoughts and feelings. Encourage them to express themselves. This opens up conversations.
Did you know the definition of consent?
We define active consent as OMFG – ongoing, mutual and freely-given. Visit consenthub.ie for more free resources and support.
