Negotiating Consent and Navigating Conflict

Are you thinking about setting up a learning community? Or perhaps you run or work at a provision already. Our next webinar will interest you if you’re planning to offer a self-directed* learning environment. Come and meet Je'anna Clements, co-founder of the Rights-Centric Education Network and of Riverstone Village, a Sudbury-inspired self-directed learning community in South Africa.

In self-directed settings, everything rests on consent. Young people have full autonomy over their time and activities and we, as adults, support them rather than being in charge. But what does 'consent' truly mean when children are so used to pleasing adults? They might say 'yes' to our suggestions, but are they genuinely interested, or are they just tolerating what they're ‘supposed to want’?

This workshop offers practical insights around negotiating for real consent, instead of a compromised ‘oh, okay then, if it makes you happy’. How do we interact so that 'yes' is authentic, unlocking powerful motivation to learn and master skills? Getting this right is what frees us from the exhausting role of being 'edutainers', and ensures that education is optimised without relying on subtle forms of coercion.

Understanding the dynamics of consent also opens up powerful new options for dealing with conflict. Restorative justice can evolve even further, to become Transformative justice, making the world a happier place for all.

Best of all, once consent stops being murky, life can relax into being deliciously playful.

*By the way, that means these skills are also transformative for personal relationships, so even those with different models of education in mind are warmly welcome!

Please join Je'anna for an interactive workshop - with optional levels of participation - because your deep consent matters, too!