Pornography: Exploitative or Empowering?

Lockdown has seen a rise in the consumption of pornography, particularly amongst young people. From ethical porn to the homemade variety, live streaming to free downloads, pretty much anything is available on most devices, paid for by unwitting parents and carers and watched in the comfort of home. But without education and support how are children and young people supposed to be able to distinguish between fantasy sex and the real-life positive relationships they aspire to? Whilst not all young people watch porn, statistically most will have to make choices about it and to do that they need to develop the confidence and skills to question what they see and consider its potential impact and influence on everything from their expectations of sex to body image and gender-based stereotypes.

This interactive workshop considers the influence of women in the music industry by asking the question, ‘music videos and sexualised lyrics, are they exploitative or empowering?’ We explore the potential messages received by young women and girls as they absorb explicit content in mainstream chart music, hailed as feminist empowerment by some and vilified as pornography by others. What impact can growing up in a world with blurred lines really have on body image, gender stereotypes and consent? 

Join us to discuss, share and consider ways to explore this important topic with young women.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand different perspectives on the role of popular music and its potential influence on children and young people.
• The meaning of ethical and feminist porn and the laws to protect children & young people.
• The potential impact of sexualised music videos and lyrical content on self-esteem, body image and expectations of relationships and sex.
• The potential for porn to perpetuate old gender stereotypes in comparison to arguments about its ability to empower and liberate.
• Reinforce the importance of consent and communication

Self-harm is a common behaviour in young people, affecting around one in 12 people with 10% of 15–16-year-olds self-harming at any time (Young Minds, 2018). 20% of secondary school pupils surveyed in UK said that they had hurt themselves on purpose at some point. Within this group, 13.7% said they hurt themselves often or regularly (2018). 15 to 19 year old females have the highest rates of hospital admissions for self-harm in the UK (Murphy, 2018).

Self-harm may be an attempt to communicate with, influence or secure help from others, or it may remain a secretive behaviour. People often self-harm to regain control of their situations, emotions or thoughts. It is often assumed that people who self-harm are suicidal, but for many people it is actually a way of coping or surviving.

Young people say that the first time they speak to a professional about self-harm they want to be treated with care and respect. This innovative workshop will guide you and your young people through the harming behaviours process and how to be supportive and authentic in your approach whilst helping a young person find effective coping strategies for life and future success.

Learning Outcomes:

• Ways to support a young person with specific mental health problems.
• Gain an understanding of why young people self-harm and key steps to help young people reduce their harming
• Understanding anxiety and flight or fight response.
• Address the stigma surrounding mental health and ways that everyone can look after their mental health and ways to get help or support a friend.
• Where to refer young people to specialist support and an introduction to the resources that are available

Jaimi Shrive is the director of PoliticoFocus and a researcher in political engagement, international relations and forms of oppression. In her work for PoliticoFocus, Jaimi develops and delivers workshops, sessions and resources for children in topics such as politics, critical thinking, critical media, human rights, debate skills and social issues. She also writes educational resources for professionals delivering sessions on these topics.

Aims of the session:

1. Share the importance and benefits of strengthening young women’s leadership.

2. Identify challenges and barriers for young women entering leadership.

3. Further equip your organisation to empower and enable young women into leadership.

Saraniya Thayaparan

Saraniya Thayaparan is the Award and Development Programme Coordinator at The Diana Award. Saraniya encourages Diana Award recipients to remain engaged in their social action work beyond receiving their award, providing them with the tools, resources, training and opportunities to create and sustain even greater positive change.

Córa-Laine Moynihan

Córa-Laine Moynihan is a 2019 Diana Legacy Award recipient, receiving this award for her work supporting survivors of abuse and young people suffering from poor mental health as Student Ambassador for Safeline. She has raised thousands of pounds for the charity and continues to raise awareness about abuse and empowering young people through her project Hope Quest.