AMBITION
Bridge the gender education gap around consent
Sexual harassment and assault remain widespread. Between a general lack of comprehensive education and gender framing consent as a “woman's issue,” we were frustrated with these inadequate approaches to consent. We believed that we could use creative solutions to reframe the entire construct of consent conversations, ultimately making it common sense. Consent becomes particularly problematic when public revelry (and substances) blurs the boundaries.
Sexual harassment at music festivals in particular is a huge problem, with 92% of female fans experiencing harassment. To combat this, we wanted to get folks talking about consent in places it matters most, by facilitating real experiences that would act as a lesson in consent, right in the moment. By doing so, we were able to start meaningful conversations about consent, as well as shape a new approach to consent awareness and education.
ACTION
Kickstart consent conversations with AirDrop
Music festival attendees often connect to WiFi and leave AirDrop on in order to share through social media and grab new festival content. So we used AirDrop at Coachella to create a unique experience that spread awareness of the issue in the moment and served as a real-life demonstration. We dropped “Consent Cards” directly onto people’s phones right from within the crowd. Just like consensual hook ups, and true to AirDrop’s features, anyone with an iPhone could accept or decline our Consent Cards, which encouraged people to share their own boundaries. People could AirDrop our cards to others, as the Consent Drop experiment brought people together to talk about consent. As our Consent Cards sparked conversations among festivalgoers, our team was on the ground documenting reactions.
We leveraged these learnings to execute Consent Drop at the San Francisco Pride Festival and Golden State Warriors playoff tailgate parties. We also created Hook Up Stations (charging station lockers) and installed them at Lollapalooza, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and NY Ad Week to turn the simple act of charging a phone into a demonstration of how a consensual hook up begins. When someone began on the charging dock touch screen, they were questioned whether it was a consensual hook up. The experience then reminded users that just like plugging in your phone, consent can be withdrawn at any point for any reason.
ACHIEVEMENT
Spread consent awareness in schools and at events around the world
We’ve forged partnerships with some of the most influential anti-sexual violence organizations including RAINN, No More, A Call to Men, and with brand partners like The Drum, The Female Quotient, and SAP Next Gen. With the valuable support of these organizations, Let’s Get Consensual has launched a series of consent-awareness activations at industry events and festivals like the Cannes Lions Festival, Lollapalooza, Coachella, and San Francisco Pride. Let’s Get Consensual has also created an educational program for schools designed to make students advocates for each other at an early age.
Let’s Get Consensual has helped transform consent from a lecture about rules into a conversation people actually want to have. Between the Consent Drop activation at festivals, to social posts online, to new educational programs in schools, and Hook Up Stations in bars, we helped make consent top of mind in places it matters most. What started as a passion project has flourished into a comprehensive public campaign and a goal worth reaching—because consent isn’t rocket science, it’s common sense.
