Consent Awareness Week
A K–12 school guide
Grow respect, care, and safety at your school.
Consent Awareness Week is a national initiative created by Possibility Seeds and High School Too, inviting thoughtful, affirming, and age-appropriate conversations about consent as a cornerstone of all our relationships. Consent Awareness Week, September 21–25, 2026
We are so glad you are here.
This free guide from Possibility Seeds helps K–12 schools plan and deliver Consent Awareness Week. Choose the resources that fit your role, or explore the full guide.
Looking for resources for workplaces, colleges and universities, or proclamations? Visit the Possibility Seeds' main Consent Awareness Week page.
Are you a…
For teachers & staff
Educator & staff guide
The five-day plan, activities for every grade, and how to be ready for disclosures.
For leaders
Administrators
The case for the week, curriculum and policy alignment, and how to launch it school-wide.
For young people
Students
What consent means, how to take part, and how to support a friend.
For parents, caregivers, kin & guardians
Parents, Caregivers, Kin and Guardians
Simple ways to grow consent at home, at every age.
Consent in everyday moments
It takes a community to grow care
Consent is respect in action, your school's code of conduct put into practice. We ask, we listen, and we look out for one another. It shows up in small, everyday moments students already know: asking "Can I sit here?" before joining a friend, checking before borrowing a charger, respecting a "no" the first time, and asking before tagging or sharing a photo online. From Kindergarten to Grade 12, that's what growing a culture of care looks like.
Why Consent Awareness Week matters
Why Consent Awareness Week matters
Respect, care, and community are what our schools stand for. Consent and healthy relationships aren't extra. They live in the curriculum, they're part of school responsibilities, and they build skills young people need.
Truth & reconciliation
Part of a longer journey
Consent connects to our responsibilities as Treaty people and to learning about Treaty rights and relationships across provincial and territorial curricula, including Ontario's. Teaching young people to ask, listen, and honour a "no" is one small way to live the values of respect and mutual understanding that reconciliation requires.
Our responsibility
Part of a safe school
Schools should be safe, inclusive, and respectful places to learn. Relationships based on consent are essential to healthy schools, and this foundation is built in the early years. During the week, point back to your school's code of conduct: when a lesson lands on "ask before you borrow" or "respect a no," name it: "this is what our code means when it says treat each other with respect." Consent is the how behind rules students already know, not a separate set of expectations.
Future ready
Skills that last a lifetime
Listening, noticing how someone feels, setting and respecting boundaries, and speaking up clearly, these are the skills that carry young people through friendships, work, and family for the rest of their lives. The curriculum names them too, as the communication, collaboration, and critical-thinking skills students build from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Consent is where they get to practise them.
Consent is your school's code of conduct in action
Consent is respect, dignity, and belonging in practice:
- With each other: asking, listening, checking in, and respecting each person's choices and boundaries. Consent takes place with our bodies and belongings: recognizing everyone's right to personal space and to decide what happens to their body and possessions.
- With the land: understanding consent as part of our relationship and responsibilities to the lands and waters where we live, while recognizing Indigenous Peoples' rights to determine what happens on their lands, waters, and territories.
- Online: recognizing that consent also applies in digital spaces by asking before sharing someone's photos, messages, or personal information; respecting boundaries in group chats and social media; and remembering that permission to share something once does not mean permission to save, repost, or share it elsewhere.
Consent on the land and consent with our bodies
Consent is relational.
"Everything that impacts the land in turn impacts our bodies."Native Youth Sexual Health Network & Women's Earth Alliance, Violence on the Land, Violence on Our Bodies (Konsmo & Pacheco, 2016)
Knowledge Keepers, youth, and organizations have long carried teachings about the relationships among land, body, community, kin, and consent. Learning from these teachings can help students understand that reconciliation requires more than recognizing individual boundaries: it calls us to honour Treaties, respect Indigenous Peoples' rights and jurisdiction, and understand how colonial harms to lands and bodies remain interconnected. Bringing this learning into schools supports an ongoing responsibility to build respectful relationships as Treaty people, not a commitment that can be fulfilled through a single lesson or week.
The Native Youth Sexual Health Network, an organization by and for Indigenous youth, the Yellowhead Institute, and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson each offer important examples of consent grounded in Indigenous self-determination, relationships, and responsibilities to land. Their work does not represent every Indigenous perspective, but it helps model what it means to learn from knowledge that communities have chosen to make public, credit it carefully, and respect the terms on which it is shared. Where local Indigenous educators and communities choose to collaborate, we follow their lead and support their participation without adding to their workload.
Consent is relational, and so is this work. The resources here are a starting point, not a stand-in for Indigenous voices, and they are not meant to replace the people who should lead it. Treat them as a beginning: keep doing your own learning, and let this be part of a genuine, ongoing commitment to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, rather than a box to check once.
"…student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect."Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Call to Action 63(iii)
Understanding consent connects to Treaty education across Canada. In Ontario, for example, students learn about Treaty rights and relationships. Nationally, this work responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 63(iii) and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Call for Justice 11.1, which calls for education about human rights and the historical and ongoing causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Teaching treaties as living agreements and ongoing relationships can help students approach the school year through mutual care, responsibility, and respect. It also creates opportunities to learn from the enduring strengths, cultures, knowledge, and resistance of Indigenous Peoples, work that reaches far beyond any one week.
Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is central to this learning. Affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, FPIC flows from Indigenous Peoples' inherent right to self-determination, and recognizes Indigenous Peoples' authority to make decisions about their lands, waters, territories, and communities. In practice, FPIC means that consent must be:
Given without coercion or pressure, through a process the community itself directs.
Sought early, before any decision is made, not after.
Grounded in full, clear, and honest information.
Understood as a continuing relationship rather than a one-time signature. Consent can be shaped, negotiated, given, withheld, or withdrawn at any stage.
Recognized as a right of Indigenous Peoples and nations, centred on who has the authority to decide, not simply who is consulted.
Consent as a spectrum
In Land Back: A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper (2019), Hayden King and Shiri Pasternak set out a spectrum of consent, a framework for understanding how Indigenous consent is ignored, coerced, negotiated, or enforced. It moves across three parts:
Denial
The strategies deployed to dispossess Indigenous people of the land.
Recognition
The limited land management rights offered to Indigenous peoples by the Crown and industry.
Reclamation
Community-based strategies of consent-based jurisdiction.
The report closes with a fifth part, the continuation of life, an argument for why Indigenous jurisdiction matters in the midst of an ongoing climate crisis. This is its own distinct framework about the rights of peoples and nations, not a version of personal consent. It's a powerful way to show older students that being asked isn't the same as being able to refuse (King & Pasternak, 2019). Read the full report (PDF), or see the References.
An example of a board-level commitment
School boards can support this work by embedding reconciliation in their policies, programs, resources, and relationships, not only in classroom lessons. In Ontario, the Greater Essex County District School Board offers one example through Indigenous language courses, the Open Minds Program, an Indigenous protocol, voluntary student self-identification, and learning resources on residential schools, Treaties Recognition Week, UNDRIP, and related topics. Together, these help create the relationships, knowledge, and institutional supports needed for meaningful consent education.
Explore what your own school board has established, including its Indigenous education team, community partnerships, protocols, language programs, student supports, and classroom resources. Preview all materials before using them, and consider what further commitments may be needed to move from a week of awareness toward sustained action.
Resources
More ways to explore, together
Books are a lovely way in, and there's more: short videos, visuals for your walls, and trusted organizations who've built wonderful free materials. Preview anything before sharing, and pick what fits your community.
Read together
Ages 0–5
Gentle first books
Will Ladybug Hug? (Hilary Leung), Don't Hug Doug (Carrie Finison), Rissy No Kissies (Katey Howes), Can I Give You a Squish? (Emily Neilson). Sweet stories about asking first and that a "no" is okay.
Ages 4–8
Feelings & boundaries
We Listen to Our Bodies (Lydia Bowers), Listening to My Body (Gabi Garcia), Miles Is the Boss of His Body (Samantha Kurtzman-Counter), C Is for Consent (Eleanor Morrison), The Land Knows Me (Leigh Joseph / Styawat, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), Stand Like a Cedar (Nicola I. Campbell, Nłeʔkepmx/Syilx/Métis).
Ages 4–8 · French
Livres tout doux
Anti-Bisous (M. Lenne-Fouquet), Chevalier Chouette (C. Denise). Warm picture books about affection, choice, and kindness.
Ages 8–12
Friendship & respect
Consent (for Kids!) (Rachel Brian), Let's Talk About Body Boundaries, Consent and Respect (Jayneen Sanders), Treaty Words: For As Long As the Rivers Flow (Aimée Craft, Anishinaabe/Métis), Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior (Carole Lindstrom, Anishinaabe/Métis).
Teens
For older readers
Welcome to Consent (Yumi Stynes & Dr Melissa Kang), A Quick & Easy Guide to Consent (Isabella Rotman). Clear, warm, and non-preachy.
Ages 4–12 · Human rights
Consent for every body
Don't Touch My Hair! (Sharee Miller), The Every Body Book of Consent (Rachel E. Simon), A Girl's Bill of Rights (Amy B. Mucha, illus. Addy Rivera Sonda), and We Listen to Our Bodies (Lydia Bowers). Consent belongs to every body, in every kind of family.
Teens · Further reading
Consent, land, and body
For senior students: how harm to bodies and harm to land have come as one for Indigenous peoples. See Violence on the Land, Violence on Our Bodies (Konsmo & Pacheco), the National Inquiry into MMIWG, and Kwakwaka'wakw scholar Sarah Hunt on the colonial roots of that harm (Two Spirit Journal).
Tips for using books well
Read the book yourself first, choose titles that match your students' ages and your community, and let families know what you will be reading. A story read together, followed by a few open questions, is often the warmest way into these conversations.
A note on the Indigenous resources here
The Indigenous-authored books and organizations above are a starting point, not the whole story. Please keep doing your own learning and research, and connect with the teachings of your board's Indigenous education staff and local knowledge keepers. These references are just a start, not a finished list.
Watch & discuss
Your own
The BRAVE video
High School Too's own video on supporting a friend. Screen it, then talk it through using the BRAVE steps. Perfect for "We Believe You" Day.
Kindergarten to Grade 2
The Boundaries Song
"That's a Boundary" is a cheerful social-emotional song for young children about setting and respecting healthy boundaries, from Hopscotch Songs. A warm, low-prep way in. Have a look first and pick the moment that fits your class.
Grade 2 to Grade 5 · Body autonomy
Consent for Kids
Rachel Brian's short, playful animation is built around the idea that you're the boss of your own body. A friendly conversation-starter about asking first, changing your mind, and respecting other people's yes and no. Preview it and pair it with a quick circle-time chat afterward.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about Consent Awareness Week
What is Consent Awareness Week?
Consent Awareness Week is a national initiative created by Possibility Seeds and High School Too. Each September (September 21–25 in 2026), it invites schools, families, kin, and communities to explore consent across all our relationships: with one another, online, in workplaces, and in relation to lands and waters.
What does CHOICE stand for?
CHOICE describes the conditions needed for consent: Chosen freely (without pressure, guilt, fear, manipulation, or someone wearing you down); Have the information you need (you understand what you're agreeing to and can ask questions); Okay to change (you can change your mind at any time, and so can the other person: I can, they can, we can); It's a sure yes (a clear, willing "yes," not silence, uncertainty, freezing, or "I guess"); Continuous (ongoing check-ins; yes to one thing isn't yes to another, or to the same thing another time); and Expressed, not assumed (communicated through words or another understood form, never guessed from past experiences, relationships, clothing, or body language alone). Developed by Possibility Seeds, CHOICE helps young people understand what a caring, freely given "yes" requires.
What does FPIC stand for?
FPIC stands for Free, Prior, and Informed Consent: the right of Indigenous Peoples to give or withhold consent to decisions affecting their lands and territories. Affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, FPIC recognizes the authority of Indigenous Peoples to give, withhold, or withdraw consent regarding decisions affecting their lands, waters, territories, and communities. Learning about FPIC through Indigenous-created resources supports ongoing commitments to Treaty education and reconciliation. Possibility Seeds continues to learn from Indigenous-created work, such as the Native Youth Sexual Health Network and the Yellowhead Institute, and collaborates with Indigenous communities when invited, following their leadership and respecting the terms of their participation.
What is the BRAVE model?
Created by Farrah Khan, the BRAVE Model™ offers five ways to support someone who shares an experience of harm: Begin by listening, Respect their confidentiality and their choices, Ask what they need, Validate their feelings and their experience, and Empathize (meet them with warmth, without judgment). Used unadapted with attribution under its CC BY-NC-ND licence.
I'm a student. How can I take part?
Choose what feels meaningful and manageable: participation is not homework. You can begin by watching the BRAVE video with friends, complete the BRAVE e-learning, make something, start a conversation, or ask a teacher or your student council to mark the week.
What will students learn?
Younger students explore feelings, personal space, asking first, and respecting another person's answer. They learn that their bodies are their own, that they can say "no" or "not right now," and that they can seek help from a trusted adult. As students grow, they consider how consent and boundaries operate in friendships, families, kinship networks, digital spaces, dating relationships, workplaces, and community life. Older students also learn to recognize pressure and power differences, practise ongoing consent, support someone who has experienced harm, and locate appropriate support and reporting options. Learning should be accessible, culturally responsive, and inclusive of different bodies, identities, relationships, and ways of communicating.
How can school boards support this week?
School boards can provide schools with shared resources, clear support and reporting pathways, and professional learning that prepares educators to teach about consent and respond appropriately to disclosures. This week is also an opportunity to review policies on sexual violence, harassment, student safety, digital conduct, and disclosure response with students and community partners, identifying gaps between written policy and students' ability to find, understand, and use it.
How much time does this take?
Start with what is manageable: one story, an activity, a poster, a screening, or a five-minute conversation. Schools and boards can build toward more sustained learning and policy work over time.
Where can I learn more?
Visit Possibility Seeds for Consent Awareness Week resources. The frameworks and supporting materials used in this guide are credited in the References.