By Alexis Redding
Reporter
The Consent Project is a national campaign that supports victims and families affected by sexual or domestic violence.
The Consent Project Club has been active on the CSU Bakersfield campus since October 2012.
Humboldt State University was the first college campus to implement the Consent Project in fall 2010. At CSUB, a Consent Project club was formed with the help of students, staff, and the organization Kern County’s Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (AAFVSA). The club’s goal was to focus attention on what consent is and what it means for young adults.
Club members and AAFVSA established the Consent Project at CSUB to give victims and non-victims a safe environment to freely express their experiences.
The purpose for the Consent Project and their activities is to provide a safe space for all, including non-victims, to speak confidentially about domestic violence and sexual assault.
According to the organization, consent is defined as words or conduct that gives permission for a particular sex act. If a person is intoxicated, unconscious, physically or mentally incapacitated, or coerced into submission, consent cannot be granted.
Students at CSUB have participated in events, club meetings, and projects such as Denim Day, Mental Health Awareness Month, and Domestic Violence Awareness Month to help support the Consent Project.
Between Oct. 16 and Oct. 31, 2017, students, survivors, and AAFVSA have collaborated for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and held their first pop-up art show titlted, “Unsilenced.”
Ten original art pieces were on display in the Rohan Building at CSUB from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday through Friday. Those in attendance saw visual interpretations from survivors and had the opportunity to hear and share experiences of sexual assault.
The club’s mission is to “educate students, staff, faculty, and administrators about sexual and domestic violence.”
The last meeting for CSUB’s Consent Project Club was held on Nov. 15. The upcoming meeting schedule is yet to be determined, but it will be posted on CSUB’s events calendar.
For more information about CSUB’s The Consent Project, contact Campus Advocate and Education Coordinator Vanessa Corona at 661-654-6210. Also, visit the Consent Project’s university webpage at www.csub.edu.
