Dear EI Community,
Despite the revelations of the Everyone’s Invited movement, and the thousands of testimonies revealing the universal prevalence of sexual violence, an accurate understanding of what constitutes rape and consent is still widely misunderstood in society.
New findings from the CPS on the public’s understanding of rape, serious sexual offences and consent reveal that rape myths and harmful misconceptions about rape still dominate the public’s accurate understanding of these offences, and worryingly the “false beliefs, misunderstandings, lack of knowledge and underlying stereotypes” are more prevalent in the 18-24-year-old age group compared to older demographics.
Age-old destructive beliefs about how rape isn’t rape unless the victim fights back, that consent is automatically assumed in a relationship and that if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you cannot be held responsible for perpetrating rape still powerfully influence young minds, shape behaviour and lead to violence.
It is clear to us how urgent consent and healthy relationship education are needed for all young people. At Everyone’s Invited, we are fundraising to reach as many young people as possible through our education programme. Our vision is one where every young person is equipped, educated and supported to engage in equal, loving and empowering healthy relationships. Help us achieve this goal by donating here.
Best,
The Everyone’s Invited Team
Education
2024 has been off to a good start, and we are already finding ourselves busy delivering education to schools. One of the highlights was going to Putney High and speaking to students about Online Misogyny and Sexual Wellbeing, which was a successful and engaging experience.
This academic year, we are continuing to offer five free training sessions for teachers. These will take place online and are open to all staff members. These sessions will help individuals challenge misogyny and harmful behaviour in the classroom. You can sign up via this link:
We also are offering free parent sessions for schools this academic year.
If you would like to host us at your school, all you need to do is contact us. If you are outside of London, you can run the session online (or pay just for travel expenses for a facilitator to get there), and if you are in London, we can attend free of any charge.
Survivor Safe Space
Our website is getting a makeover in 2024 to improve our safe space and make it more user-friendly. We are currently working with our web developer and our social media team to rebrand the site, so watch this space!
We always welcome testimonies in our safe space and feel honoured that so many survivors choose to share their stories anonymously with us. We received over two thousand testimonies in 2023 alone.
In 2024, our goal is to get completely up to date with the backlog that has built up over the years. We are hoping to recruit more hardworking and committed volunteers to support us in maintaining our safe space. if you are interested, please send your CV to dania@everyonesinvited.uk.
Online Community
Under our refreshed identity, we’ve been rolling out new content to inform and inspire our community. We’d love to hear from our audience about what you’d like to see, so feel free to engage and comment on our posts.
Warmly,
The Everyone’s Invited Team
CONTRIBUTORS: Arianne, Dania, Ellie, Phoebe, and Soma
FOLLOW US:
CONTACT US:
General Enquiries: welcome@everyonesinvited.uk
Education Enquiries: education@everyonesinvited.uk