Only yes means yes
Workshop summary
Important: This workshop is currently being redeveloped with guidance from community advisors. We expect to make the workshop available for public booking in spring 2026.
This introductory-level workshop explores the gap between colonial legal and ethical standards of consent and supports participants to create a culture of consent that goes far beyond the requirements of colonial law. It also looks at both legal and non-legal options available to adult survivors of sexual assault.
Although the criminal legal system is flawed, knowing how it works can be helpful for survivors to make informed decisions and for the people in their lives to offer information and resources that can support survivors’ self-determination.
We are grateful to the community advisors who helped West Coast LEAF create the original version of Only Yes Means Yes and to those who are currently helping us redevelop our curriculum.
Details
Please email Alana at workshops@westcoastleaf.org to inquire about this workshop or join the list of people to contact when it is relaunched.
We recommend offering this workshop over three sessions of at least two hours each (for a minimum total of six hours). We can also discuss the possibility of offering the workshop over two or four sessions.
We ask that participants have a free choice to attend the workshop or not and have the option to leave the workshop at any time. In other words, we will not work with groups where participation is mandatory or tied to outcomes such as grades.
We also ask that host organizations arrange for a person to be available to offer supportive listening to participants as needed during the workshop and for 15-30 minutes afterwards.
Finally, we ask that we have the ability to communicate with participants before the workshop sessions to share the agendas and information about what to expect.
Education specialists on West Coast LEAF’s team
We offer a sliding scale. We recommend an honorarium of at least $750 per three-part workshop. We can sometimes offer a lower fee or waive the fee if cost would be a barrier for your group.
On Zoom or in person in Metro Vancouver. Where staff capacity permits, we may be able to offer this workshop in other areas of BC if you can fund facilitator travel.
Acknowledgements
- Aliana Juma
- Billie Jeanne Sinclair
- Carrie
- Cheyenne Maya-Stevens
- Cheyenne Pamamakos Stonechild
- Chihiro Ebara
- Christina Carlick
- Diana Day, Founder, Indigenous Women Rise, Oneida Nation
- E.k
- Gabrielle Peters
- Huuyatlh (Tabatha Frank), Tla-o-qui-aht/Ahousaht/Muchalaht First Nations
- Dr. JJ Wright
- Janet Keitlah
- Jill Lowndes
- Lee, Liberty-Shuswap
- Megan Birtch
- Nermin Karim, OD, JD, LLM, North Shore Restorative Justice Society
- nour kachouh, Rainbow Refugee Society
- Muskikiway, Treaty 4
- MP, Boston Bar First Nation
- Palexelsiya Lorelei Williams, Butterflies in Spirit
- Rachel Vukovich
- Raven Whitehead
- Rebecca Jules
- Ronnie Seymour
- S.
- Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre
- Sadaf Farhoodi
- Serenity
- Shannen McGreevy
- Thembelihle Moyo
- Vanisa Punwani
- Yiwen Tao
The development of this workshop was made possible by generous funding from the Law Foundation of BC, Silver Gummy Foundation, Health Sciences Association, the Province of British Columbia, Impacts, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia for the ongoing delivery of this workshop.
