Helping teens understand the law around consent
In House Pro Bono Stories
We sat down with Samantha Coffield, Head of Legal, Global Health at GSK, to find out what it's like to face giving information about sexual consent to groups of teenagers.
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What attracted you to volunteer for the Schools Consent Project?
I felt very compelled by the mission of the Schools Consent Project (SCP). I attended an initial training session run by Kate Parker (founder of SCP) and it seemed like a simple thing I could do to hopefully positively impact the lives of young people.
Helping educate and empower teenagers with knowledge on the law round consent is time well spent in my view.
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What was the training like?
We watched Kate do a walkthrough of the presentation, explaining how she presents each slide and suggesting talking points. It was really clear and helpful. We were given access to a recording of Kate delivering a workshop at a school. There's a very comprehensive briefing pack and slides with talking points. I felt very well prepared and supported going into the first session.
How did the first session go?
I initially attended a session as an observer, which is really helpful for seeing what it's like and how it feels in the room. Then I had a session as a co-presenter before doing one on my own. I have already signed up to do another one.
SCP does everything that they can support you so that you're not just dropped into a classroom full of teenagers presenting on your own for the first time.
I don’t think I’m alone in feeling quite daunted - given the topic – to present to a group of children, but it's been fine. They have really good questions and as the presenter, you have to own the room and the tone of the conversation. There's always a teacher present in case of any discipline issues.
I’ll definitely do more sessions. It's really important work.
What would you say to someone interested in doing it?
Give it a try. You might surprise yourself. It's incredibly rewarding to think of the positive impact that you're having. In each session you are presenting to a classroom of 30 children, rather than advising on a 1:1 basis, so it's a very effective use of time when you think of it that way.
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