There is a serious and growing problem in Australian communities. We need to talk about this.
Creating Compassionate Communities conference: Come join the conversation to learn more about factors contributing to child sexual abuse and sexual violence offending in Australia
- Why is there confusion about consent, and an erosion of the fundamentals of respect in relationships?
- Why are children and young people increasingly represented in reports of harmful sexualised behaviours?
- What do you understand about the ‘drivers’ that influence this growing problem and how do we engage the community in the solutions?
- What do you know about how to address attitudes that contribute to the problem and maintain gender inequality and sexual objectification?
- What do you understand about the impact of trauma on a child or adult’s capacity to self-regulate and how this may impact too for you in your work?
When we are better informed, we are more effective in our work. Each person can make a difference by influencing one mind and one heart at a time.
Download the Program here:
Conference Program
Why does this conversation matter?
It is important that we understand what key messages from society are impacting children and young people’s developing brains and what is influencing their future attitudes. We are aware pornography consumption by young people, and the ease of access, is at what could be considered pandemic proportions.
Join Dr Michael Flood, Maree Crabbe, Kayelene Kerr, and Dr Carolyn Johnson, Coby Greer and others, to engage in the conversation to understand how we can influence building better brains so to speak, where children do not have their capacity to self-regulate, or the optimal development of positive self-concepts compromised by these challenging times in which we all live.
We should be concerned about our children being educated through the lens of this type of media, and potentially assuming what is portrayed in pornography represents how intimacy is expressed in relationships, without the life experience or critical thinking capacity to understand this distortion of reality.
How do we create compassionate communities together?
What is shaping our society? How do we build respect, consent, safety and compassion in relationships? How do we influence young minds and hearts surrounded by social media messages and pornography that are contrary to supporting the development of respect, or fostering compassion for others or demonstrating that love and kindness are the foundation on which healthy relationships are built.
Come join the conversation with Phoenix.
It is concerning that children are often accessing pornography as a medium for educating themselves about sex and relationships, only to then erroneously assume from what they see that a lack of respect, and the use of coercion, aggression, and violence is ‘normal’, expected, and acceptable. The outcome of this can have long-term negative consequences for that child and for society. Children using online platforms looking for this material are also at great risk of exploitation and further harm.
