Whether you are young or old, man or woman, LGTBQ, in a long-term relationship, single or looking to hook up, the most recent Harmony Project awareness campaign likely reached you.
The “got consent?” educational awareness campaign put forward four key messages related to the issue of sexual assault into places where everyone living in the valley might have the chance to see it – especially if they are under the age of 30.
With posters in more than 60 establishments throughout the Bow Valley and T-shirts on residents and stakeholders, Harmony Project manager Reave MacLeod said the effort and messages were created as part of sexual assault awareness month throughout May.
“We launched with the posters and T-shirts, as well as a bit of a social media push and the reaction has been awesome,” MacLeod said. “Lots of conversations have been started, which was the whole purpose of the T-shirts and the posters.”
The Harmony Project is a multi-stakeholder driven initiative to address sexualized assault and harassment in the Bow Valley. Throughout May, T-shirts with the four key message questions related to consent were worn and sported on social media feeds by community members and stakeholders in the project.
“I think people wearing the T-shirts highlights the multi-stakeholder approach to sexual assault and harassment we are taking,” MacLeod added. “We are really encouraging anybody to wear them and send us their photos.”
Each poster is colourful in design and plays upon the classic marketing campaign of “got milk?,” but instead poses the question “got consent?” MacLeod said each question was created to reach the broadest range of valley residents, with a particular focus on the ages under 30 as communities like Banff and Canmore have a significant population of 18-30 year olds.
Other statistics related to sexual assault makes the target demographic more relevant. According to a 2010 Statistics Canada report, the rate of sexual assault for Canadians aged 15 to 24 is 18 times higher than that of Canadians age 55 and older.
Focus groups of valley residents aged 18 to 30 were used to create the four messages and specifically address issues identified locally, like the consumption of alcohol, said MacLeod.
The poster reads: “got consent? Stumbling or mumbling = no. Alcohol and drugs affect the ability to consent. Let’s create a culture that finds drunk sex unsexy.”
It is an interesting message, she said, and one that has sparked a lot of conversations around what should occur when either party has consumed alcohol.
“Our messaging around that is that if there has been alcohol consumed, make sure you are asking the question,” MacLeod said.
A green poster addresses bystander intervention by stating: “stand up for your peeps if someone is a creep. It’s okay to ask someone if they’re okay.”
It is an area of the Harmony Project’s overall mandate to address all aspects of intervention, according to MacLeod. The initiative’s first class on bystander intervention was completed this past month, which is an exciting milestone for the project.
“When you see or hear something uncomfortable, it is empowering for people to take action and intervene in a way that is safe for them and safe for the people being harassed as well,” she said.
A purple poster encourages enthusiastic consent with “if it is not ‘hell yeah!’ it’s no. Make sure you partner is an enthusiastic participant. A yes under pressure equals no.”
A red poster reinforces the importance of consent regardless of how long partners have been in a relationship with “ask every time. You aren’t a mind reader. Ask the question. Every time.”
MacLeod said the poster recognizes that even in an intimate relationship you still need consent and “someone has the right to revoke consent at any time.”
“I think that is why the response has been pretty positive, because they are messages that were developed locally and they are resonating for people,” she said. “We wanted to make sure it was a positive message … and we wanted to give young people tools as to what you can do: you can ask every time, you can step in if someone is being a creep.”
The project committee includes Banff and Canmore RCMP, Bow Valley Victims Services, Banff Mineral Springs Hospital, Alberta Health Services-Addictions and Mental Health, BanffLIFE, Settlement Services, Canmore FCSS, Calgary Sexual Assault Response Team and YWCA Banff.
“One of our goals is for everyone in the Bow Valley to know how to access services in our community and to ensure these services best meets their needs,” said committee member and Bow Valley Victim Services executive director Peter Quinn.
The Harmony Project also completed the process to offer a survivors guide for victims and members of their support systems. The guide is available online at harmonyproject.ca or from members of the initiative.
“It is a collaborative project we have been working on over the last six months to put together a guide so that if a victim comes forward in the Bow Valley there is relevant and applicable information available,” MacLeod said.
The group also plans to host a movie night in Banff, Lake Louise and Canmore with the first one scheduled at artsPlace for June 19. MacLeod said the movie Shrek will be featured and a video on consent that is family-friendly will be shared in advance along with information about the Harmony Project.
