New materials to facilitate learner discussions about healthy relationships available

A new set of materials designed to help teachers, trainers and support workers facilitate discussions with groups of learners about healthy relationships has been launched by the Education and Training Foundation (@E_T_Foundation). The resource is called ‘It doesn’t have to be this way’.

It includes a session plan, Powerpoint presentation, discussion cards and other useful information. It is intended for use either with students in person, or virtually on platforms such as Teams or Zoom.

The resources are designed to open conversations about what healthy relationships are and provide the opportunity to delve deeper – where it is appropriate to do so – into issues around sexual violence. They aim to inspire learners to build campaigns in their own organisations that will speak to their fellow learners.

Teresa Carroll, the ETF’s National Head of Inclusion, said:

“These resources address an important and sensitive subject that needs to be kept in view and are designed to help practitioners open up conversations with learners. They come from a position of asking what healthy relationships are, challenging learners to consider the question and create a piece of media that could get their peers thinking about the issue too.”

The resources are available, free of charge, on the ETF’s Excellence Gateway site.

They were created in collaboration with partners from across the FE sector, following the publication of a National Union of Students report – Sexual Violence in Further Education – in 2019. The report revealed that 75% of respondents to the survey (544 UK-based students in FE) have had an unwanted sexual experience at least once.