Department of Social Services
With nearly half of all Australians still unclear about what consent actually means, it’s more important than ever that we as adults talk about it with each other. Because if we don’t understand consent, how will our young ones?
The brief
Carbon was engaged as part of the Australian Government’s ‘Consent Can’t Wait’ initiative to create a bespoke First Nations campaign aimed at encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents, carers and community members to have a yarn with each other about sexual consent. Statistics show that 48% of adults know it’s important to talk to our kids, but aren’t sure how. This campaign aimed to not just encourage conversations, but give people the tools to have them.
The good
Sometimes adults struggle to talk openly about sex and sexual consent because of their own upbringings or experiences. Or it might feel shame, uncomfortable, taboo, or just embarrassing and awkward.
This campaign aimed to combat this through the creation of a series of resources that helped to normalise conversations around consent.
The campaign included lots of dedicated First Nations downloadable resources to support the great work already being done by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It included educational videos presented by author and Wiradjuri woman, Dr Anita Heiss, and Kabi Kabi man and doctor, Dr Joel Wenitong (as well as shorter cutdowns on specific topics), as well as posters, social assets, and a First Nations Conversation Guide to help adults with those difficult conversations with their young ones.
For communities with cultural practice separating men’s and women’s business, male and female-led videos were also provided for use at their discretion.
The impact
While still in its infancy, both PR coverage and on-the-ground responses to the resources have been extremely positive, providing encouraging signs for the normalisation of consent conversations.
