Informed sexual consent forms centerpiece of Yukon College orientation

WHITEHORSE-Informed sexual consent is the centerpiece to Yukon College’s Ayamdigut campus 2015 orientation week. The initial two weeks of the school year will have a series of interactive activities aimed at empowering students to have informed conversations around sexual consent. Each activity links to a competition with multiple chances to enter and win a MacBook Pro laptop computer.

The College is teaming up with the Les Essentielles Consent Crew and Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre on the consent campaign. Activities include video presentations, games, discussions, making and wearing a button advocating consent, participating in a photo campaign, and researching a local non-profit organization working to end violence against women.

Third year Bachelor of Social Work student Monique Benoit has spent the summer planning O-Week events. She says that Yukon College does not experience the same orientation week challenges as colleges and universities in the South, in part as the College does not have sports teams or a frat culture, and only a single event, the Future Routes Festival, where alcohol is present.

“Yukon College has a lot of students in their late twenties and thirties. Students who are less interested in partying and more in balancing school with family and work,” said Benoit, Student Engagement Assistant. “However, domestic and sexualized violence are issues here in the North, and we believe that empowering students through a discussion around consent is a conversation worth having as greater awareness and openness among students can lead to a stronger community.”

Building community is the focus of many other O-Week activities. On Monday September 7, students new to Whitehorse can participate in a city tour. On Tuesday September 8, the first day back for many students, the entire day is given over to welcoming new students to Ayamdigut campus. The morning will see the return of Jerry Ewen of Playfair leading fun and games designed to build connections between participating students and staff.  This is followed by a free lunch and then rounded off with a campfire hosted by the Yukon College Student Union, with entertainment provided by the Midnight Sons.

New this year is a welcome session aimed at evening students on Wednesday September 9 from 5-6 p.m.

“Many students are enrolled evening classes and their schedules don’t necessarily allow them to participate in the full day of activities,” said Allison Furniss, Student Engagement Coordinator. “This will enable us to bring the fun and information of O-Day directly to them.”

Other O-week activities include a traditional First Nations sweat with campus elder Randall Tetlichi, an introduction to student sports and recreational programming, and the 2015 Future Routes Festival on Friday September 18 at the College Gym. Presented by the Yukon College Student Union, Yukon College and BYTE: Empowering Youth, the third edition of the all-ages festival will feature local musicians competing to win the battle of the bands, plus Vancouver indie-electronic duo HUMANS headlining.

More information about O-Week activities can be found at facebook.com/ or yukoncollege.yk.ca/ycconnects/.