Cal Poly Humboldt Consent Project starts conversations

by Ione Dellos

The tenth annual Consent Project was hosted by CHECK IT and Peer Health Education on Thursday, November 10th, to educate people about consent culture through interactive booths, art projects, and a survivor speak out. Turnout for the event was impressive considering that Peer Health had not gotten a chance to run the event since 2019 due to the pandemic. 

As an option for those who wanted to attend the event but weren’t able to be there in person, there was an online art submissions option available. Those who were unable to attend were still given the opportunity to have their work displayed at the event if submitted before the deadline. 

The Project had lots of fun and informative booths; attendees could learn more about consent, get connected with student resources like the Campus Advocacy Team, and even paint their own rock!

Decorating a rock of your choosing wasn’t the only creative activity at the event. There was also a Jeans4Justice booth, where attendees could paint or draw on a pair of jeans that they had brought. 

In the center of the Goodwin Forum, where the event was held, there was a collaborative mural. It was beautifully and carefully decorated, with flowers and foliage lining the walls. The attention to detail shone through in every corner of the room. 

The main event was the survivor speak out, which started at 7pm. In a safe space, survivors were encouraged to speak out about situations on campus where their consent was violated, and how that can be potentially life-altering. 

Out of respect to those who spoke, I will not include specifics of details shared, but it takes an immense amount of strength to tell one person your story, let alone a whole room full of people. 

As a survivor, you can often feel guilty about what happened to you. You may feel that there was something that you could have done to prevent that from happening. Having a space like the Consent Project to explore those feelings with other survivors and be able to get in touch with resources like the Campus Advocacy Team is very important as it can be crucial to healing.