This week, beginning 16th March, LSU’s Sexual Health Coordinator Jess Excell is hosting Loughborough’s very first Sexual Health And Guidance Week- abbreviated to ‘SHAG’ Week.
Many events are being held this week in order to raise awareness and increase Loughborough Student involvement. From a casual chat at the Let’s Talk About Sex Tea and Talk on Wednesday 1-3pm in the W&D Office; getting checked for Chlamydia with the NHS in the union on Tuesday, having fun at the JCs pub quiz on Thursday evening; or the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ discussion in COGS from 7:30pm on Tuesday evening alongside LWN, there’s plenty going on for everyone to learn from and be involved with!
SHAG Week is seeking to educate Loughborough students about their sexual health and the issues that surround it, with the main aim of providing everyone with the necessary knowledge to take control of their sexual lives and ultimately, to stay safe.
On Friday 20th March, Jess Excell is hosting an LSU Loves Consent workshop. A survey by the National Union of Students (NUS) revealed that 1 in 4 UK students have experienced unwanted sexual advances, ranging from catcalling to groping and assault. Jess had this to say to Label:
“My workshop aims to tackle the myths, misunderstandings and problematic perspectives about rape and harassment. I want to highlight that what many people don’t realise, and need to be taught through consent workshops, is that consent is not a black and white issue. Before engaging in sexual activity, it’s not always the case that an individual will verbally state ‘I consent to this’ or ‘yes’. However, the absence of a no is not a yes, and this is what many students do not realise.”
As this years’ Sexual Health Coordinator, Jess strongly believes in improving the education of Loughborough students. It is absolutely necessary to present a clear message of a zero tolerance policy for sexual violence, as well as a willingness to educate people about the nature of sex and relationships.
Welfare and Diversity have already launched campaigns such as Know the Line, run by the Loughborough Women’s Network, and this workshop seeks to work alongside those ideas. Universities such as Oxford and Cambridge have recently implemented compulsory consent workshops for new students during freshers’ week, and others are starting to introduce similar things. Jess said that:
“It is absolutely necessary to offer Loughborough students this chance too.”
To find out more information about SHAG week and Jess’s other campaigns, you can ‘like’ her Facebook page to keep up to date with what she’s up to here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/LSU-Sexual-Health-Coordinator/641477519292161?pnref=story
The Consent Workshop is set to take place at 3pm in the Dance Studio (upstairs in the union) on Friday- not to be missed!
