Wellbeing and Welfare
Consent Matters
Boundaries, Respect and Positive Intervention
York St John University is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and respected. To support this commitment, we provide an online training course to all students, focused on consent in sexual relationships.
Consent Matters is an award-winning online programme developed by experts and used by universities to support the development of a positive consent culture on campus. It enables York St John University to set clear expectations and provide information on clear communication, boundaries, mutually respectful relationships and the ways in which we can support others.
The course will show you:
- What consent looks and sounds like
- How you can clearly communicate what you want
- When consent can be given and when it can't
- How and when you might step in when consent is not present
Talking about sex can be difficult, and, through the completion of the programme, we hope students will learn how to recognise and ask for sexual consent, look out for others at the University, and seek support if it is needed.
Modules
There are 3 modules to complete:
- Thinking about consent: This module looks at what consent means in normal, everyday situations before exploring why it is important to have sexual consent. This module explores common misconceptions around consent and sexual violence.
- Communication skills and relationships: This module asks you to consider what you value in a relationship and suggests approaches for talking about sex with partners. It also explores how to recognise other people’s boundaries and signs indicating when to stop or pause.
- Looking out for others: This module empowers you to look out for others and intervene when you see behaviour that makes you uncomfortable.
All students are encouraged to complete the training as it plays a crucial role in promoting a culture of dignity and respect on our campus. Consent and active bystander education have a proven positive impact on preventing sexual violence and harassment, by giving people the skills and confidence to positively intervene and support each other. This training is one of the many steps we are taking to ensure that our community is informed and aware.
Access the Consent Matters course
You can access the Consent Matters course on Moodle. If you have been invited by email to complete the course, you will have been auto-enrolled and can access the course using the following link:
The Moodle course contains an end of module quiz for each of the 3 modules. To mark your completion of the course, you must complete the learning for each module and pass the end of module quiz.
Opting out
Our goal is to create a university where every student feels they belong and can thrive in a safe and supportive environment. We understand that the content of this module may be challenging, particularly for those who have experienced sexual violence.
If you wish to opt out of taking this course, please visit the Moodle page and complete the Consent Matters opt out form. We will record your exemption and you will not be expected to complete the course. Alternatively, if you have received an email notifying you of your enrolment to the Consent Matters course, you can access the opt out form from this email.
Support for students
We understand that for some students, participating in this training may be challenging.
If you have been impacted by sexual violence, or any other form of bullying, harassment or assault, there is a wide range of support available from the York St John Wellbeing and Welfare teams.
If you would like to report an incident of sexual violence, bullying, harassment or assault, you can do this by using our online Report and Support platform. You can choose to make a report anonymously or make a report to an adviser. If you choose to make a report to an adviser, one of our trained Welfare Advisers will contact you to offer practical support, advice and guidance.
To access support if you have experienced sexual violence or misconduct, you can speak to one of our specialist Sexual Violence Liaison Officers (SVLOs).
