THIS 1-MINUTE VIDEO SHOWS 5 EXAMPLES OF HOW TO ASK FOR CONSENT. HOW MANY DO YOU SEE?

ASK.  LISTEN. RESPECT.

Teaching kids about the skills of consent can help reduce sexual coercion, harassment, and even assault.

The ASK. LISTEN. RESPECT. video was created for tweens and teens ages 11-16 to show concrete examples of: 

how to ask for consent;

what enthusiastic, verbal consent looks like, and;

how to respond to “no” respectfully.

You can use the video and accompanying discussion guides (one for PARENTS, one for GROUP FACILITATORS) to spark conversations with teens about respectful relationships, the importance of consent, and how teens can ask for and give consent in their friendships and dating relationships.

USING THE VIDEO AND DISCUSSION GUIDE

The ASK. LISTEN. RESPECT. video was created to promote healthy relationships among tweens and teens by providing concrete examples of how to ask for consent, what enthusiastic, verbal consent looks like, and how to accept “no” as normal boundary-setting in relationships. 

The video and two accompanying discussion guides (one for PARENTS, one for GROUP FACILITATORS) can be used in a classroom setting, with a small group of tweens/teens, or one-on-one with an adult who can lead an informed discussion.

WHY TALK ABOUT CONSENT BEFORE DATING STARTS?

Not all 11-16 year olds are dating, but most have probably thought about what it means to be in a dating relationship.

Attitudes and beliefs formed during these critical years will most likely affect how they treat their dating partners now and in the future.

WHY IS CONSENT IMPORTANT?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey Report and their 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey:

More than 1 in 4 females and 1 in 5 males who ever experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, first experienced some form of intimate partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age.

Among U.S. high school students who reported dating during the 12 months before the survey, 1 in 12 experienced physical dating violence. 1 in 12 experienced sexual dating violence.

Youth who experience dating violence are more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms, think about suicide, and engage in unhealthy behaviors, like using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol.

Sexual violence is a problem in young dating relationships in part because many teens are not clear on what consent means, nor how to ask for it. 

Basile, K.C., Smith, S.G., Kresnow, M., Khatiwada S., & Leemis, R.W. (2022). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Report on Sexual Violence. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs/nisvsReportonSexualViolence.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Fast facts: Preventing teen dating violence. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html