The Intersectional Sexualized Violence Advisory Group identified nine key principles that are essential to sexualized violence prevention, intervention, and responses in post-secondary institutions

• Accessibility
• Cultural safety
• Decolonial approach
• Experience-informed
• Gender inclusivity
• Intersectionality
• Survivor-centred
• Violence-informed and trauma-informed practice
• Healing-centred and transformative justice approaches

Communication, Healthy Relationships, and Consent was developed using these principles. Any changes that are made to the resource should align with them.

The BCcampus Intersectional Sexualized Violence resources are open education resources (OERs): either they have an open-copyright licence (such as one from Creative Commons) or they are part of the public domain and have no copyright. Depending on the licence used, OERs can be freely accessed, used, re-mixed, improved, and shared. For example, institutions may want to:

• Provide information and contacts for specific services available on campus and in the community
• Use images from the institution’s campuses and local community
• Use the institution’s logo
• Support Indigenization by incorporating additional Indigenous content and approaches
• Translate resources into different languages

Ideas for adapting this resource are provided in Using and Adapting the Modules. Technical advice for putting this resource into a learning management system or on a website is provided in Installing and Editing the Modules.

In this section, you’ll find the three modules that make up the resource Communication, Healthy Relationships, and Consent. Each module includes a video, questions and opportunities for reflection, key takeaways, and handouts. It will take you 7 to 10 minutes to complete each module.

You can complete each module separately or work through the Complete Set of Modules in one session. Keep in mind that if at any point you leave either an individual module or the complete set, you will need to start over from the beginning.

If you want to access all of the resource’s handouts later, you can do that in the Complete Set of Handouts.

To get started, select each module title or the complete set of modules.

Content Warning

This resource discusses communication, boundaries, and consent. These discussions may be difficult for people who have experienced boundary violations and/or sexualized violence. We encourage you to practise self-care, including reaching out to trusted friends and colleagues. You can also access support services as needed, whether at your institution or in the community.

If you need immediate support, reach out:

• VictimLinkBC: 1-800-563-0808 or VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca – information and referral for survivors of sexualized violence
• HelpStartsHere: mental health and substance use supports, articles, and information

Module 1 explores how people understand and talk about boundaries. You’ll consider how your communication style plays a role in building and maintaining safe and healthy relationships where your boundaries are respected.

After completing this module, you’ll be able to:

• Explore the role of communication in establishing boundaries and in safe and healthy relationships
• Consider ways to engage in conversations about safe and healthy relationships

Handout: Module 1: Understanding and Communicating Our Boundaries [PDF]

Handout: Additional Questions [PDF]

Module 2 explores what qualities contribute to safe and healthy relationships. You’ll consider how to communicate your needs and boundaries in a relationship and how to listen when someone expresses theirs in turn.

After completing this module, you’ll be able to:

• Reflect on what constitutes safe and healthy relationships
• Explore how to engage in conversations about safe and healthy relationships

Handout: Module 2: Boundaries and Healthy Relationships [PDF]

Handout: Additional Questions [PDF]

Module 3 explores consent, including the importance of communication for navigating the complexities and nuances of consent. This module serves as a foundation for further training on sexualized violence by providing essential information about consent in the Canadian context.

After completing this module, you’ll be able to:

• Reflect on how your cultural contexts influence your understanding of consent
• Explore different ways to express consent (verbal, non-verbal, direct, indirect)

Handout: Module 3: Talking About Consent [PDF]

Handout: Additional Questions [PDF]

Here you can access the complete set of modules that make up this resource. Finishing the complete set will take 15 to 30 minutes. Remember: If you leave before reaching the end, you’ll need to start over from the beginning when you return.

The complete set includes:

• Module 1: Understanding and Communicating Our Boundaries
• Module 2: Boundaries and Healthy Relationships
• Module 3: Talking About Consent

Use the links below to access and download the handouts from each of the modules.

• Module 1: Understanding and Communicating Our Boundaries [PDF]
• Module 2: Boundaries and Healthy Relationships [PDF]
• Module 3: Talking About Consent [PDF]
• Additional Questions [PDF]

Use the links below to access and download the videos from each of the modules.

• Module 1: Communications and Boundaries
• Module 2: Boundaries and Healthy Relationships
• Module 3: Let’s Talk About Consent

Communication, Healthy Relationships, and Consent was originally intended to address the lack of dedicated sexualized violence response/training for international students. As the environmental scan for the resource stated, “International students have different understandings of what constitutes sexualized violence, consent, respect for boundaries, and gender norms.”

However, as the curriculum writers began their work, they pointed to research suggesting that sexualized violence education on Canadian university campuses may fail to meet the needs of international students by treating them as “non-Western people and therefore, culturally inferior visitors in need of special instruction regarding sexuality and violence” (Todorova et al., 2022). While international students in British Columbia share the experience of no longer living in their countries of origin, minimizing their extremely diverse experiences to identify them as one audience re-enacts the complex and troubling dynamics that inherently other international students.

Therefore, with the support of the International Student Resource Working Group, the resource was developed with a commitment to expanding beyond a solely Western value–led perspective, through honouring and recognizing international students’ existing knowledge, experiences, and strengths in relation to engaging in discussions about sexualized violence.

The resource acknowledges that international students may encounter a higher risk of sexual victimization than domestic students because of unique challenges associated with living in new environments, such as:

• Isolation and lack of strong networks in their new country
• Lack of information about community resources available to them
• Limited funds and employment opportunities because of visa status
• Barriers to reporting or disclosing incidents of sexualized violence or accessing available support services (Mosaic, 2019)

The approach taken also sought to elevate international students’ “agency and active negotiation of the social, educational and institutional realities related to violence in both their countries of origin and in Canada, [… their] capacity for individual and collective action, resourcefulness, and ability to find and interpret critically information related to sexuality, intimacy, and gender relations” (Todorova et al., 2022).

The resource therefore takes into account the complexity of recognizing and valuing international students’ existing knowledge, while aiming to expand on that knowledge to better equip them as they engage with the topic of sexualized violence in the Canadian context. As a result, Communication, Healthy Relationships, and Consent is foundational and preliminary for any future sexualized violence educational opportunities, not just for international students but for all students in the B.C. post-secondary sector.

References

MOSAIC. (2019). Peer Creating Awareness to Facilitate Education and Support (PEER CAFES): International Student Safety Guide. https://www.mosaicbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/International-Student-Safety-Guide.pdf

Todorova, M. S., Brooks, H. H., Persaud, R. S., & Moorhouse, E. A. (2022). Sexual violence prevention and international students in Canadian universities: Misalignments, gaps and ways forward. Comparative and International Education, 50(2), 33–50 (quoted from p. 34). https://doi.org/10.5206/cieeci.v50i2.14250

The Communication, Healthy Relationships, and Consent resource includes three online, self-paced, and non-facilitated modules. Each module takes seven to ten minutes to complete. Learners will explore what it means for them to establish healthy communication practices, build healthy relationships, and discuss consent, by engaging in activities that will give them an opportunity to use self-reflection and apply their learning. The modules provide foundational knowledge that supports future learning about sexualized violence.

After completing the modules, learners will be able to:

• Explore and reflect on the role of communication in establishing boundaries as well as safe and healthy relationships
• Explore ways to engage in conversations about safe and healthy relationships
• Reflect on how our cultural contexts influence our understanding of consent
• Explore different ways to express consent (verbal, non-verbal, direct, indirect)

The modules are ready to use, and learners can be directed to complete them in this Pressbooks site. Institutions can share the modules individually by copying and sharing the following links:

• Module 1: Understanding and Communicating Our Boundaries
• Module 2: Boundaries and Healthy Relationships
• Module 3: Talking About Consent

The complete set of modules can also be shared with this link:

• Complete Set of Modules

Institutions also have the option to install the modules in a learning management system or on a website. Information on how to do that is provided in Obtaining, Installing and Editing the Modules.

These modules are open education resources, so any of the included materials can be edited or adapted in H5P or another medium. Suggestions for possible adaptations are provided below.

If new H5P activities are added, the H5P information on accessibility (Content types recommendations) should be reviewed. Any additional graphics or images should have alt text available for anyone using a screen reader.

Note: The training does not include graded assessments, such as a final quiz. Institutions may add formal assessments using H5P and incorporate them into the modules if desired.

Adapting the Modules

The modules can be adapted to reflect the needs of an institution. Areas that lend themselves to change include the following:

• Land acknowledgement: Each module starts with a land acknowledgement, which is a first step toward reconciliation and an important way to encourage learners to think about their own next steps for reconciliation. Institutions with approved territory acknowledgements are welcome to use them in the modules.
• Videos: Each module includes a video in which people discuss key ideas and themes. The questions and reflections that follow each video are closely tied to that material, so changing the video will require modifications to the entire module. However, the videos can be incorporated into other training, such as a workshop on boundaries and consent.
• Questions and reflections: Each module contains questions and reflection prompts to help learners deepen their knowledge. The questions focus less on right or wrong answers, and more on helping learners consider multiple viewpoints around healthy communication, relationships, and boundaries, as well as different strategies for giving and asking for consent. Institutions can edit or change any of the questions to better meet the needs of their learners.
• Handouts: Each module has two handouts, available for download, that provide guiding questions and prompts to help learners think about boundaries and consent. The second handout in each module provides additional questions and scenarios drawn from the Interrobang game. Institutions may edit the handouts, replace them with their own handouts, or add further handouts.

Opportunities for Extended Learning

The Communication, Healthy Relationships, and Consent modules include materials, such as scenarios and reflection questions, that could be used in small-group discussions, either in person or online. Institutions could offer peer-discussion sessions in which learners complete the modules and then gather to share their reflections and learnings. The modules can also be used as “pre-learning” for other training – for example, on setting boundaries or on consent.

In addition, since the training is designed to provide foundational information on healthy relationships, communication, boundaries, and consent, institutions may want to follow up with additional training on these topics or with training on sexualized violence, building on the topics found in this resource.

Attributions

Communication, Healthy Relationships, and Consent by Intersectional Sexualized Violence – International Student Resource Development Team is © 2024 Government of British Columbia and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

The Creative Commons licence permits you to retain, reuse, copy, redistribute, and revise the course – in whole or in part – for free, providing the creators are attributed. These attributions can be found in the References and Attributions section of the course. If you add to the content, you will need to update these attributions. If you use components of the course, please check the attribution carefully to ensure that you credit the correct creator.

This H5P content has been created using the Pressbooks H5P plugin. It can be embedded in any website that allows for the use of an iFrame.

Use the Embed button below the content and copy the code to your institution’s site.

Below are instructions for embedding the content in several common formats for your institution’s use.

Learning Management Systems

Blackboard

1. Navigate to the content area in the course where you’d like to add this content. Click on Build Content and choose Create Item in the dropdown menu:
   
2. In the Content Information section, add in the Name/Title for your content Item. Then, in the text box editor, click on the Source Code icon [<>] to switch to the HTML editor. A pop-up window should appear with the HTML editor.
   
3. In the Source code pop-up window, paste in your iFrame embed code.
4. Click on the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner of the window.
   
5. Choose the settings for your new item.
6. Click on the Submit button at the bottom right-hand side of the screen to add the changes to your course content.

Canvas

There are two ways to embed H5P into a Canvas course: use the embed code tool or insert the code in HTML view.

Using the Embed Code Tool

1. Navigate to where you want to insert your embed code and place your cursor in the text box.
2. To get to the embed code tool, you can either:
   • Click on the Insert menu and select Embed.
     
   • Or click on the Embed icon in the toolbar [2]. Note: If your browser window is too narrow, you may need to click on the More Tools (3 dots) icon [1] first and then click on the Embed icon [2].
     
3. When the Embed pop-up appears, paste the code in the Embed Code box, and then click on Submit.
   
4. Once you have submitted, the embedded content should appear in the text box.
5. When you are returned to the main page, click on Save or Save and Publish to finalize your changes.
   

Inserting Embed Code in HTML View

1. Navigate to where you want to insert your embed code and place your cursor in the text box.
2. Either click on the View menu and select </> HTML Editor
   
   Or click on the </> icon in the toolbar located just below the text box.
   
3. Paste your embed code in the text area provided, and then click on Save.
   

Moodle

1. Navigate to the content area where you want to add your embed code.
2. Click on the </> icon in the tool bar to switch to HTML view.
   
3. Paste your embed code in the text box.
4. Click on Save and return to course or Save and display to apply your changes.
   
   

Brightspace by D2L

(See Brightspace by D2L: Embedding objects into content)

1. Navigate to the content area where you want to add your embed code.
2. Click on Insert Stuff, then scroll down to the bottom and select Enter Embed Code.
   
   
   
3. In the text box, paste your embed code. Then click on the Next button to preview your content.
   
4. Click on Insert to add the code to your content.
   
5. Click on Publish to complete your changes.
   

Web Content

H5P content can also be used on websites and HTML pages.

WordPress

To embed H5P content in a WordPress blog post:

1. Click on the Embed link below the content you want to embed.
   
2. Copy the code.
   
3. In the WordPress blog post editor, switch to Text editor and paste in the code.
   
4. Switch back to Visual editor to see the content you just embedded.
   
5. Continue editing the blog post, and save as usual.

Pressbooks

To embed H5P content on a Pressbooks page:

1. Click on Embed below the content you want to embed.
   
2. Copy the code.
3. In the Pressbooks editor, switch to Text editor, and paste in the code.
   
4. Switch back to Visual editor to see the content you just embedded.
   
5. Continue editing the content, and save as usual.

Pressbooks Using the H5P Plugin

Alternatively, you can also add the H5P activity to your library of activities to share from there. Please ensure that the H5P plugin is activated in your Pressbook.

1. From the Admin panel, choose Plugins.
2. Click on Activate under H5P.

Adding the H5P Activity to Your Library

Once you have activated the H5P plugin, you can follow the steps below to download the H5P content, upload to your library, and add the activity to your Pressbook.

Downloading the H5P File

You can save your H5P file to your local machine with two simple steps:

1. Click on the Reuse button at the bottom of the activity.
2. Click on Download.

The file is now saved on your local machine.

Uploading the H5P File to Your Content Library

1. Open the H5P plugin in the Admin tab of the Pressbook you want to install it in.
2. Click on Add New.
3. Open the Upload tab.
   
4. Find the file and upload it.
5. Click on Save.

Adding the H5P activity to your Pressbook

The visual editor will have an Add H5P button next to the Add Media button.

You can use this button to add the shortcodes for H5P activities. To add an H5P activity you’ve created:

1. Navigate to the location on the page where you would like add the activity.
2. Click on the Add H5P button.
3. Find the activity you’d like to add to your book and click on Insert.
   
4. Save the chapter and view the web version to see your embedded activity.

Drupal

1. Navigate to the content page/area where you want to add your embed code.
2. Click on the Source icon in the tool area to open the HTML view.
3. Paste your embed code in the text area.
4. Click on the Source icon again to switch back to Rich Editor view.

Editing or Adapting an H5P Activity

This H5P content is adaptable and editable for reuse. You may wish to customize or change any of the content to fit your context.

To obtain an editable version of the H5P content:

1. Save the H5P file to your local machine by clicking the Reuse button below the content.
2. Click on Download.

The file is now saved on your local machine.

Note: You can’t open the H5P file on your machine. It must first be uploaded to a site supporting H5P.

Uploading the H5P file

Now that you have downloaded the H5P content, you can upload it to your instance of H5P or to the H5P plugin in a Pressbook.

1. Open your H5P plugin or instance.
2. Click on Add New.
3. Open the Upload tab.
   
4. Find the file and upload it.
5. Click on Save.
6. Edit the H5P activity.