Student leaders and staff recognised a gap in knowledge on how to handle first disclosures in a victim-led manner and wanted to better equip their student community to respond with compassion and effectiveness. We worked with Goldsmiths Students’ Union and their CARE Project team to not only raise awareness but to ensure that students felt empowered to support victims in a way that centres their experiences and needs.

Throughout the workshop, we explored:

• How victims of sexual violence and spiking may feel and the importance of listening, not questioning their behaviours or experiences
  
  
• Understanding trauma responses such as fight, flight, freeze, flop and friend – and why they matter
  
  
• Recognising perpetrator behaviours and patterns to help prevent harm before it occurs
  
  

Students engaged in open conversation, practical scenarios, and reflective discussions, gaining confidence in their ability to recognise harm and respond in a trauma-informed manner.

It was great to see how the students developed a deeper understanding of the different forms of sexual violence impacting student communities and obtained up-to-date knowledge on how spiking can occur. We also improved the students’ ability to identify common behaviours and tactics used by perpetrators so that they can prevent situations from happening or escalating further.

Finally, students were informed of what a victim-led approach means, and why it’s crucial for meaningful support. This included going through and informing students of the formal and informal pathways of support available at Goldsmiths SU, and how to use these systems to empower survivors.

‍If you want to hear more about the work we do with Students’ Unions and the workshops we deliver then please click this link to go on our website.