Consent Project: Tools for Healing, Tools for Prevention

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, HSU’s Peer Health Education program and CHECK IT hosts the sixth annual Consent Project, an event dedicated to creating a more consent-centered campus and exploring the many paths of survivorship and healing.

Beginning at 5 p.m. in the Kate Buchanan Room and lasting until 8 p.m., the event is free and open to the public (campus map PDF is available here).

The Consent Project was originally founded to address issues of consent and sexualized violence as they relate to people of all genders, and to value the different ways individuals communicate their stories of survival. As an event and as a movement, The Project challenges the HSU community to create conversations on campus about consent, what it means and looks like, and how we can communicate and embody consent within our actions and choices, reduce harm on our campus, and establish a culture that listens to, believes, and supports survivors.

This year’s schedule includes:
*5-6 p.m.—Art Projects and Interactive Activities
*6-6:30 p.m.—Consent Culture Discussion
*6:30-8 p.m.—Gender Inclusive Survivor Speak Out

Participants will receive a free t-shirt and complimentary refreshments, including a s’mores bar, and can engage in hands-on art projects. Local nonprofits, including Humboldt Domestic Violence Services, the North Coast Rape Crisis Team, the Women’s Resource Center, Double Dare Ya Humboldt, and the Eric Rofes Multicultural Queer Resource Center will host information tables at the event.

The event’s hands-on activities will highlight nature as a source of renewal and regrowth.

“The group art projects are a form of community healing, and we often don’t make time for healing as a group,” says Celene Lopez (’17 Psychology), CHECK IT peer educator. In April, Lopez was among 10 recipients of the It’s On Us White House Champion of Change award, which recognizes outstanding student leaders in the movement to end sexual violence in colleges.

“The consent project is a space where people are listened to, believed, and heard. We also offer concrete tools to build community and create a culture of consent,” Lopez adds.

The Consent Project, which began in 2010, is one component of broader campus efforts to raise awareness of sexual assault and provide pathways to recovery for survivors and their loved ones.

“Sexual assault doesn’t just affect the survivor. It impacts their families too. This event can be a reminder of how we’re all connected and have to work toward changing the culture,” says Lizzie Alvarez (’17 Psychology), HSU Peer Health Educator.

To learn more about HSU’s Peer Health Education program, click here.
To learn more about CHECK IT, click here.
Get more information about this event on Facebook.

If you have experienced sexual violence and are looking for survivor support resources, contact HSU’s Campus Advocate Team (made up of counselor’s from North Coast Rape Crisis Team) through their 24hr hotline number at 707.445.2881.