Camosun College is holding consent-education workshops this semester as part of its sexual violence and support education initiative. Camosun student support manager Jenny Holder says the workshops—which are open to Camosun students and employees—consist of information regarding how sexual-violence survivors can get support.
“The intent is to educate the student body on the importance of understanding consent and looking at it as a real issue in our community here at Camosun, and also in the broader community,” says Holder.
Holder says there is still a lot of work to do around sexual violence and misconduct in society today.
“There are several movements that are in motion right now and we’re happy to be a part of that movement here at Camosun in our own way,” she says. “We’re working where we have power and control to engage with our community here to really educate and offer support to those who are victims and survivors so that the issues come to light and are put in the important place that they should be placed in, and that’s what we’re doing here by offering this educational process and engagement.”
Holder would like to let people who are struggling with abuse and misconduct know that there is support at Camosun.
“There is safety,” says Holder. “We’re coming from that student-centred perspective that we want to reach out and offer the support. We’re here.”
Camosun acting associate director of student services Jodi Goodrick says that the college encourages students to use the supports in place.
“We really, really want to have students accessing supports,” she says.
The first workshop is from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Thursday, February 8 in Young 300 at Lansdowne. The next is from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm on Thursday, February 22 in room 101 in the Centre for Business and Access at Interurban.
The March dates are March 8 at Lansdowne and March 22 at Interurban, in the same rooms and times as the February workshops.
“We’re reaching people who are isolated and who deserve to have the support of their community,” says Holder. “The students deserve that support and we want to make sure that they get it.”
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