Evaluating Consent Labs: prioritizing sexual wellbeing through a youth-led, curriculum-based education initiative

Abstract

Introduction: Consent Labs is an Australian, youth-led, not-for-profit organization delivering comprehensive consent education. Workshops are co-designed by young people and delivered by near-to-peer facilitators in secondary and tertiary institutions. The aims of this paper are (1) to describe the development, design and delivery of Consent Labs and (2) to conduct a retrospective analysis of evaluation data collected by Consent Labs. Methods: E-survey data were collected by workshop facilitators between March 2021 and April 2023. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of these de-identified data. Survey items included age, identity, pre- and post- sexual consent knowledge, attitudes towards the content and delivery and questions inviting free-text responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics: frequencies, self-reported change in knowledge using paired t-tests, and differences between groups using chi-square tests. Free-text responses were analyzed using content analysis. Results: We describe the conceptualization of Consent Labs, present information about topics covered and report on process evaluation data analysis. Six thousand and twenty-six students returned complete evaluation surveys; 76.3% were school students and 23.7% were university students. The majority (67.3%) identified as female, 24.2% as male, 1.7% as non-binary, 1.2% as other gender identity. Self-reported change in knowledge before and after workshops was significant (pre-workshop knowledge mean score 3.77; post-workshop knowledge mean score 4.58; p < 0.0001). Change in knowledge remained significant when analyzed by institution, school type gender and sexual identity. ‘Consent Foundations’ was the most frequently selected (41.0%) topic as being most valuable. Respondents selected ‘Recognizing Coercion’ and ‘Gaslighting and Other Consent Challenges’ most frequently for future workshops (both 48.3%). Analysis of free text responses provided additional feedback. Discussion: Consent Labs has been gaining recognition nationally since it was first implemented; this is the first analysis of process evaluation data. Limitations of the study include the low response rate, self-reported change in knowledge and the cross-sectional nature of the evaluation. Preliminary findings are encouraging and provide a sound platform for quality improvement and further evaluation. A recent government grant to partner with education academics will ensure that the Consent Labs program and continuing growth will be informed by more rigorous evaluation and evidence.