Our workshops are exclusively led by legally qualified volunteers.
This enables us to bring our professional experience into the classrooms and respond to students’ questions with accuracy and authority, whilst taking these difficult conversations off teachers’ hands.
We are the only organisation of its kind that provides legal education to school-age children. We believe that these conversations ought to be happening at a young age for there to be real and lasting change.
I really want to congratulate you on the professionalism of the volunteers – they were all so well-informed and polished in their delivery. The pupils seemed very engaged and asked lots of questions.
Our story
The Schools Consent Project was born out of a conversation between our founder, Kate, and her friend who had been sexually assaulted at work. It was by discussing the incident through a legal lens that her friend began to appreciate the significance of her colleague's actions (she did not give her consent; he did not have reasonable belief in her consent). It was not something that could be brushed aside as a miscommunication or misunderstanding.
Kate felt that this analysis of the situation should not be reserved to the courtroom; rather, young people should be equipped with a basic legal knowledge in order to navigate these sorts of interactions safely. A handful of local schools were contacted to see if there was any interest in a lawyer discussing these topics with their students. The appetite was enormous; the Schools Consent Project was born.
Our people
The charity is founded by Kate, a criminal barrister, and directed by Monica, a former Partner at a media law firm. Together they have over 22 years of legal experience, including in cases involving rape & serious sexual assault.
I cannot recommend it too highly. The speakers engage with their audiences in a way which is genuinely appreciated by our young people and [they] are sufficiently knowledgeable and confident to provide responses to the most difficult of questions. The undoubted success of the Schools Consent Project can be measured by the extremely positive feedback received from the students.