October National campaign launched to help young people support friends who disclose sexual violence

A national campaign has been launched to equip people with the skills and confidence to respond appropriately if a friend discloses sexual violence or harassment.

The “Start Here” campaign is being led by University of Galway’s Active* Consent, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ - formerly Union of Students in Ireland), Galway Rape Crisis Centre, and Education and Training Boards Ireland.

Resources include physical and electronic versions of tips on disclosure, a series of short videos that work through the tips, and open access to Active* Consent’s 45-minute eLearning module Sexual Violence and Harassment: How to Support Yourself and your Peers. 

Originally developed in 2021 as a response to the Active* Consent and AMLÉ national Sexual Experiences Survey 2020, the initiative addresses the findings that 79% of college students who disclosed sexual misconduct first spoke to a close friend.

In 2022, the Higher Education Authority’s Survey of Student Experiences of Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education found that this figure was 85%, highlighting the vital role that peers have to support survivors.  

 Over the next six weeks, Start Here will offer: 

• Basic dos and don’ts of receiving a disclosure 

• Key information on support services and how to access them nationally 

• Current research statistics on college students’ experiences of sexual violence and harassment 

• Open access to Active* Consent’s self-guided 45-minute eLearning module Sexual Violence and Harassment: How to Support Yourself and your Peers  

• Ongoing interactive content diving deeper into all of this information in detail through quizzes, videos and other forms of direct engagement 

            Professor Pádraig MacNeela, Head of the School of Psychology at University of Galway and Active* Consent Programme Lead, said: “Active* Consent are delighted to be partnering with AMLÉ, Galway Rape Crisis Centre and our new partner Education and Training Boards Ireland for the 2025 Start Here campaign. When the Start Here campaign first launched in 2021, we knew from research that 79% of students would disclose a non-consensual sexual experience to a close friend. In more recent research from the HEA reported in 2022, this has risen to 85%. This shows the importance of people having access to ways of managing disclosures in a trauma-informed manner with some simple dos and don’ts, with the main objective to be confident in signposting to relevant services.”  

            Cathy Connolly, Executive Director, Galway Rape Crisis Centre said: “The Galway Rape Crisis Centre has been an integral part of the Start Here campaign since its inception in 2021. We are proud of the collaboration between Active* Consent, AMLÉ and now Education and Training Boards Ireland for this campaign. A strong motivator for us to be involved is that frontline and counselling experience is important in keeping the training Galway Rape Crisis Centre provides current and relevant, as it reflects the changing experiences of survivors of abuse and rape. The collaboration with the Active* Consent team, AMLÉ and Education and Training Boards Ireland has deepened as we continue to together work to improve disclosure response and outcomes for these survivors.” 

Emma Monahan, Vice President for Welfare AMLÉ, said: “Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ) is proud to partner with Active* Consent on the Start Here campaign. The campaign first launched in 2021 in response to a study run by our organisation in 2020 which revealed that 79% of college students who experienced sexual misconduct first disclosed it to a friend. We hope that this campaign can continue to give young people the skills to listen, empathise and support their friends who have experiences sexual misconduct. This campaign has the potential to make a significant impact on creating a supportive environment for survivors of sexual violence, assault and harassment. Active* Consent has been an amazing resource both to students' unions and young people over the years and we are delighted to maintain our partnership and to continue working closely together." 

 Joseph Collins, Direct of Further Education and Training with Education and Training Boards Ireland, said: “Key to Active* Consent’s mission is doing the research and then creating tools and experiences that build knowledge and engagement for students and staff regarding consent, sexual violence, and harassment. Start Here meets this aim by taking an intimidating topic for many and translating it into concrete steps that both staff and learners can make use of in the real world. Education and Training Boards Ireland is honoured to support such an impactful campaign.” 

 Sinéad Morgan, Director, Further Education and Training with Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB), said: “The main objective of this campaign is to provide learners with practical knowledge and understanding of how to support someone who discloses to them. This campaign has the potential to make a significant impact on creating a supportive environment for survivors of sexual violence, assault, and harassment.” 

Active* Consent is funded by Lifes2Good Foundation, Rethink Ireland, University of Galway, Government of Ireland and the Higher Education Authority. 

To track the campaign on social media, follow Active* Consent on: Facebook; Instagram; TikTok, and Bluesky: @activeconsent and use the hashtags: #StartHere #ActiveConsent #ImListening #WhatWouldYouSay. 

 To view the Start Here el-earning module see: https://www.consenthub.ie/wp-content/uploads/eLearning-Module-Sexual-Violence-and-Harassment-How-to-Support-Yourself-and-Your-Peers/ and to access the campaign website visit: https://www.consenthub.ie/start-here/

For more information about the Start Here campaign or to get in touch with Active* Consent, email activeconsent@universityofgalway.ie.

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