How young people raise awareness of sexism, sexual violence, healthy relationships and gender equalities in schools and communities – a survey

Good Practice guide on how young people can safely and creatively promote gender equalities for respectful relationships 

This autumn the Welsh Government will launch the “Good Practice Guide: A Whole-Education Approach to Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence in Wales”.

A central part of the guidance encourages children and young people to raise awareness of, and take action to stop violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence in their schools and community.

The draft guidance states that this can include encouraging children and young people to become active citizens by, for example, leading a school assembly on gender discrimination; starting a petition for more gender neutral books in the library or changing the school uniform policy; through to engaging in local, national and international campaigns to end gender-based violence.

Supported by Welsh Government, and in collaboration with Cardiff University, the NSPCC Cymru/Wales, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, and Welsh Women’s aid, we will be co-producing with young people, for young peopleUK’s first national guide on how they can safely and creatively promote gender equalities to address gender-based and sexual violence in their schools and communities.

The key aims for the Young People’s Good Practice Guide are to:

  • Provide an accessible, illustrated and practical guide for how young people (11-18) can actively, creatively and safely raise awareness of how to promote gender equalities for respectful relationships and address the root causes of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence;
  • Outline young people’s rights to freedom from gender-based and sexual violence, and the key elements of how a whole education approach can support this;
  • Identify good practice examples of how young people in Wales and beyond have already raised awareness on key issues, with reference to specific case studies.

We would be grateful if you could please take a moment to answer the consultation questions on how young people you work with have been involved in raising awareness of gender-based and sexual violence in their school and/or communities. We are especially interested in examples that are young people initiated and young people led. Please do complete the sections below with young people if this is possible.

This consultation will close on the 13th of November 2015.

If you have any comments or questions about this consultation, please contact Tina Reece at Welsh Women’s Aid on [email protected] or 02920 541 551.