From Religious Education Curriculum
What’s love got to do with it?
What do a famous football player, a political staffer and an Australian of the Year have in common?
They all highlight the need for better education about consent - to prevent the perpetration of crimes and to support victims with knowledge of their legal rights.
With the change to NSW consent laws in June 2022, it is vital that young people especially, understand that consent is “a free and voluntary agreement that should not be presumed.” Some might say that it’s a matter of common sense…unfortunately, you only need to look around to see that people don’t always follow common sense:
From posting photos without consent to sharing “nudes”.
From giving wedgies to establish the pecking order to becoming “handsy” after drinking alcohol.
From covering “the bases” within a relationship to reinforcing stereotypes within relationships (as portrayed as much in Hollywood blockbusters as in porn).
These are increasingly common at an increasingly younger age.
Consent Labs is a Sydney-based organisation that facilitates a platform for young people to learn how to navigate consent respectfully. Run by young people, for young people, they worked with our Year 8-12 students to promote Human Dignity, Self-Reflection, and Empathy. These core values align with the three foundational perspectives of our College’s Pastoral Care Framework:
- Theology (Being the Light of Christ)
- Philosophy (Living the Good Life)
- Psychology (Understanding motivations and behaviours)
To strengthen this connection, Year 9 and 10 students participated in their annual Retreat experience, considering different types of loving relationships (family, friends, partners, humanity) and love of self as one “made in the image of God”. Students were invited to consider how and why Jesus calls us to “Love our enemies” and to meditate on the type of person that they wish to be.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Ephesians 4:32)
