Is there a better way to teach young people about consent than the now-notorious ‘milkshake’ video?
A group of panellists will brainstorm that topic tonight when QUT hosts a public forum, Consent – Milkshakes, Misogyny and Masculinity – at its Kelvin Grove campus in Brisbane and online.
Due to COVID capacity restrictions, the forum has already booked out with 60 people attending from the public, community, government and university sectors. Other interested people can watch via a Zoom webinar.
The forum is being hosted by QUT’s Teachers and Teaching Research Group (TTRG) and will be chaired by Professor Martin Mills from QUT’s School of Teacher Education & Leadership, who researches gender issues in education and leads the TTRG.
“There is no doubt consent is now one of society’s top issues – and that recent revelations about allegations of historical events have punctured public trust relating to the treatment of women within Australia’s federal government,” Professor Mills said.
“One response to these events has been to consider the importance of including the teaching of respectful relationships in the Australian curriculum.
“The controversial ‘Milkshake’ video that was released by the Federal Government – and then removed from circulation after a public backlash – was seen to encapsulate the difficulties of teaching respectful relationships.
“Our forum intends to tackle this issue and debate how the teaching of respectful relationships might best proceed.”
Panellists will include fellow QUT education researchers Professor Kerryann Walsh (whose research has focused on school-based prevention of child sexual abuse) and Dr Lisa van Leent (who researches teachers’ pedagogical practices in relation to diverse genders and sexualities), and QUT’s School of Justice’s Associate Professor Michael Flood (an internationally recognised expert on violence against women, masculinity and gender).
They will be joined by Hayley Stevenson (Executive Director – Student Protection, Department of Education and Training), Penny Spalding (Assistant Secretary - Women and Social Welfare Issues, Queensland Teachers Union) and Dr Claire Moran (Manager – Tertiary and Research, True Relationships and Reproductive Health).
The forum will run from 6pm to 8pm tonight (Tuesday, July 20), with the Zoom webinar details available here.
QUT Media contacts:
- Mechelle McMahon, media@qut.edu.au
- Rose Trapnell, media@qut.edu.au or 0407 585 901
