An annual event highlighting the need for consent education in MI

What is MY Consent Month?
Michigan Youth (MY) Consent Day is an initiative launched in 2014 to aid young people in understanding the difference between consent and non-consent. MY Consent Day is observed on the fourth Friday in September each year. Its primary goal is to provide youth with resources to empower themselves to know their rights, communicate about consent, and engage in healthy relationships. Recently the event has been extended into a full month of awareness activities, making September MY Consent Month!  Check out the 2021 Governor's Proclamation recognizing September as Consent Month.

For more on MOASH's year-round work, visit our MY Consent Culture project webpage and resources page!

Michigan Youth (MY) Consent Month 2021 events:

Social norms campaign on Instagram
  • This past year we conducted a statewide Youth Sexual Violence Social Norms survey, asking young people about their attitudes toward dating behaviors, gender roles, seeking support, consent education, and more.  We are excited to start sharing our findings via data infographics developed in collaboration with MPHI and our MY GAB youth advisory council members! Follow the @empowering.miyouth Instagram page to see our new data releases throughout the month!
First looks at a new resource: K-5 Consent Toolkit
  • Over the past two years, the Sexual Violence Prevention (SVP) resources workgroup (part of the MY Consent Culture project) has been developing a consent toolkit for educators and parents/caregivers with students in grades K-5. Stay tuned for the September release of a short video module which will walk through the first draft of the resource!
  • Consent Basics
  • Past MYCD Resources
  • Curriculum
  • Videos/Graphics
  • Policy
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What is consent?
Consent is an informed, voluntary, and mutual decision among all participants to engage in any activity, including sexual activity.  Consent must create clear permission and willingness to participate.  All people in a sexual situation must feel that they are able to say "yes" or "no" or stop the sexual activity at any point.

Who should ask for consent?
The person who is initiating or escalating the level of activity (for example, moving onto a sexual act not yet agreed upon) is responsible for asking for consent and respecting whether consent is given or denied.  All parties involved in a sexual situation should frequently "check-in" during sexual activities.

Why ask for consent?
Consent shows respect to your partner(s)'s body, their autonomy, and their pleasure. Consent ensures that you and your partner(s) are on the same page and communicate your needs and boundaries. Sex without consent is sexual violence. 

Consent is... enthusiastic, verbal and nonverbal, voluntary, sober, ongoing, mutual, physical, emotional, reversible

Consent is NOT... assumed, implied, coerced, the absence of "no," silence, compliance, manipulation, intimidation
Many sex education curriculums may include lessons about consent; however, many are not free or available to the public.  Here are a few lesson plan options on consent that are free and accessible online:
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Videos and visuals can be a great teaching tool around consent.  We've compiled a list of a few videos used to teach about consent and broken them up by suggested grade level; however, we recognize that students may be at different levels of learning/understanding, and so we encourage you to view them prior to sharing and make the determination about what will work best for your students:

For elementary school: For middle/high school: For high school and older: ​
If you would like to know more about current advocacy efforts and policy considerations around consent (beyond those listed on the MOASH resource page and MOASH advocacy page), check out the following:
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