University is a time for meeting new people, developing friendships, and, often, embarking on new relationships. While this can be a time of connection, great fun and exploration, we also know that it can feel complicated and difficult.

Do you sometimes wonder if your relationship is healthy?

Have you ever googled your partner’s behaviour?

Have you experienced unwanted sexual behaviour or advances that have left you feeling distressed or upset?

Do you ever wonder if you’re approaching sex and relationships in a way that makes others uncomfortable?

If some of this sounds familiar, then we want you to know that you are not alone.

As a university we want everyone to be part of the conversation about consent, healthy relationships and how to have good sexual experiences. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Consent Collective.

What is Consent Collective?

Consent Collective is an online platform that empowers students and staff to learn about building healthy relationships. It provides access to videos and podcasts covering a broad range of topics to help you ensure that you are having the best relationships you can. Channels include: “How to be good in bed”, “how do you know if you have consent?” and more. There’s also a channel with lots of information about self-care and how to look after yourself if you are struggling with trauma.

Consent Collective recognises the importance of culture change regarding these issues and provides materials on ways to contribute to this change. For students passionate about activism, this platform is an excellent place to start. Some may even make it part of their career.

It’s really easy to sign up, all you need is your Sussex email address. Take yourself to Consent Collective and it’ll take you to the University of Sussex landing page. You’ll just need to create an account and you’ll have access to all the free content.

We hope you all sign up and spend some time exploring what Consent Collective has to offer.