Results & Outputs

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Training for School Educators and Counsellors

This is a 30-hour Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme for Secondary Schoolteachers and Counsellors. It aims to raise awareness among teachers about the importance of consent and how it relates to the way they interact with students.

It also supports teachers to create a respectful and safe environment for themselves and their students to address consent, and to develop their pedagogic skills to use the ACT4CONSENT toolkit resources in their teaching practice.

The full curriculum of the 6-module CPD Programme will be presented through a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform.

The modules consist of:

Introduction to Consent for Students

This module will help teachers to understand the topic of consent, why it is important, and how it can impact students in their school.

Self-care for Teachers

This module will support teachers to address their own self-care and wellbeing when working with students on sensitive and emotionally challenging topics.

Ethical and Legal Issues related to Consent

This module will introduce some key legislation at European level which outlines the protections which EU citizens have regarding sexual sexual assault, harassment, and exploitation.

Cultural Norms and Consent

This module will enhance teachers’ awareness of cultural factors which may affect students’ understanding of consent, including exploring cultural norms and beliefs around gender, power, and sexuality.

Communication for Consent

This module will provide practical activities for teachers to practice effective communications skills and active listening techniques for talking with students about consent.

Drama and Storytelling Techniques

This module will provide strategies for teachers to use drama and storytelling techniques in their teaching practice, including strategies for creating a safe and supportive environment for students to explore the topic of consent.

Each module includes 3-hours of face-to-to-face workshop-based instruction, and 3 hours of additional, autonomous learning resources that is available for teachers in all 7 partner languages (Bulgarian, Croatian, English, French, German, Greek, and Portuguese).

Toolkit of drama and storytelling resources to talk about Consent

The toolkit resources aim to provide schoolteachers, students and parents with specific, age-appropriate resources that will support them to:

  • develop an understanding of what consent means;
  • comprehend legal and ethical frameworks;
  • develop skills for expressing consent; encourage reflection and evaluation;
  • and foster empathy and understanding.

The toolkit also provides a Handbook for Teachers that comprises a total of 20 classroom-based activities, 10 which use drama techniques and 10 which use storytelling techniques to address the following 10 topics, related to consent:

  1. Recognising signs of non-consent, including verbal and nonverbal cues.
  2. Recognising the importance of respecting boundaries and seeking explicit consent.
  3. Understanding power dynamics in relationships and how they can impact consent.
  4. Exploring the role of consent in different contexts, including sexual relationships, friendships, and other interpersonal interactions.
  5. The importance of bystander intervention and speaking up when witnessing inappropriate behaviour.
  6. Developing skills for setting boundaries and saying “no” assertively and respectfully.
  7. Understanding the impact of peer pressure and social norms on consent and decision-making.
  8. Exploring issues around consent and technology, including sexting and online harassment.
  9. The role of alcohol and drugs in consent and decision-making.
  10. Strategies for recognising and addressing coercive and manipulative behaviour in relationships.

There are also 16 short videos and accompanying tipsheets (8 for students and 8 for parents) available on a MOOC platform to enhance knowledge on this topic and support discussion around it.

All training content is available in all 7 partner languages (Bulgarian, Croatian, English, French, German, Greek, and Portuguese).