Empowered By Consent
Embodied Consent Workshops
Learning By Doing
Why Embodied Consent?
Embodiment is about being fully present in the moment and is essential to being able to give consent. If we are distracted, most of us fall into social conditioning and answer from habit rather than choice. With choice removed from the equation, consent is no longer possible.
In our workshops we teach "Ask, Pause - Pause, Answer". This approach interrupts social conditioning and power dynamics by ensuring the respondent is aware that they are truly at choice. It's not consent if saying "No" feels like isn't an option.
We learn better when our body and mind are both engaged. This is why our workshops are based on learning by doing. The group exercises at the core of our workshops provide participants with firsthand experience navigating a variety of consent situations. Our direct experience format provides multiple opportunities for practice, reflection and refinement. This process builds muscle memory and gives people the experience they need to use their new skills in real world situations.
Expanding The Focus of
Consent Education
Consent training is often focused solely on preventing sexual violence. When we expand our understanding of consent to include our daily interactions - "Can I pet your dog?" or "Do you have the time to talk this through?", we begin to recognize where we have agency. We also begin to recognize when we are infringing on someone else's agency.
This more holistic approach to consent brings awareness to the many opportunities we have in our daily lives to practice advocating for ourselves and others. This awareness and daily practice prepares us to speak up for ourselves and others when we find ourselves in a high stakes situation.
When we empower people to advocate for themselves in all arenas of their lives, we can truly shift power dynamics at an organizational level. Someone who is confident speaking up in class, in relationships and at work will not only be prepared to speak up when the stakes are high, they are also modeling this behavior to those around them. This work ripples outward from those who have experienced the training to those they interact with.
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Accesibility
Everyone is unique. We are prepared to meet participants where they are at.
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Here are some of the ways we do this:
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Teaching across multiple learning styles
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Providing accommodations
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Using a trauma informed lens including making participation in exercises optional
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Using direct experience as the primary learning tool
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Building in opportunities for questions throughout the workshop
Meet The Facilitator
Audrey Hamel
I come to this work as a coach, group facilitator, advocate, and parent. I am a cis, white, queer and neurodivergent woman. My awareness for this work began with a degree in Somatic Studies with a focus on the mind-body connection. This coursework showed me the value of embodied education and gave me a new lens for looking at the world.
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Becoming a parent to a queer, neurodivergent person of color with complex medical challenges turned me into an advocate and community educator. This journey was full of lessons on consent and power dynamics. It took courage, time and practice to build the skills to effectively disagree with and educate those in positions of power on my daughter's behalf. As she grew, I mentored her into becoming her own best advocate.
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As my daughter stepped further into self-advocacy, I began to share my skills with clients in one on one and group contexts. I continue to expand my knowledge and experience through attending workshops and reworking my own workshops as I learn from my attendees experiences. My work is influenced and inspired by the Wheel of Consent® as developed by Dr. Betty Martin. I have trained with the School of Consent, but I am not a certified facilitator. For more information visit www.schoolofconsent.org.
Contact me to discuss workshop opportunities tailored to your organization.