Planned Parenthood Federation of America has released a series of videos geared to teens and young adults that explains and provides examples of giving, hearing, and asking for consent; addressing both verbal and nonverbal cues; and fostering healthy communication around sex and relationships.
The videos are intended to inform and ultimately reduce sexual assault by ensuring that sex is safe and mutually consensual, Dr. Leslie Kantor, vice president of education at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. They can be a valuable resource for teens because consent is often hard to demonstrate; even though there has been emphasis on telling people that they must obtain consent in a sexual encounter, there are few examples illustrating what it looks like, said Dr. Kantor.
Courtesy CDC
“To address sexual assault in this country and move us toward a healthy culture of consent, young people must understand consent and have the skills to engage in healthy communication around sex and relationships. Open, honest communication between partners is necessary to ensure that sex is safe and mutually consensual, which is a skill that can be learned. Education about consent is sexual assault prevention,” Dr. Kantor wrote.
The four-part video series can be viewed in its entirety on Planned Parenthood’s YouTube channel, and lesson plans that accompany the videos can be obtained by emailing education@ppfa.org. Young people can find more information about consent on PlannedParenthood.org’s Info for Teens page and submit questions to Planned Parenthood’s Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter pages.