Potentiating Personal Power

The Wheel of Consent® is a practice that helps us to cultivate our personal power by developing the skills to notice and express our desires and limits, while noticing and supporting the ability of those we're interacting with to do the same.

This practice understands consent as an ongoing, dynamic agreement that takes into account who is doing an action and who it is for, as well as the ability of each person to notice and voice their desires and limits. Developed by Dr. Betty Martin and taught all over the world, the Wheel is a practice that helps us to bring greater integrity, clarity and empowerment into all of our relationships.

This workshop includes a blend of theory, experiential exercises, and self-reflection. Topics include noticing and expressing your desires and limits, creating clear agreements, awareness of power dynamics and how to disrupt the tendency to ‘go along with’, and discerning between ‘giving’ and ‘doing’.

What’s possible:

• A deeper understanding of consent that goes well-beyond asking for permission
• Increased self-awareness and communication skills
• A greater ability to notice, value, trust and express your desires and limits
• A greater ability to assess and support the ability of those you’re with to notice and bring forward their desires and limits
• Greater awareness of power dynamics and how they affect consent
• An improved ability to make choices that support your well-being
• A chance to connect with other people interested in this work

These practices are an opportunity to learn skills that enhance our ability to relate authentically with each other, support safety, clarity and ease in relationships. These skills benefit all areas of our lives, from the personal to the professional.

Questions that we will explore include:

• Why don’t we ask for what we want, and what can we do instead?
• How can we support greater access to noticing and choice?
• How do you act when you really believe it’s for you, or for the other?
• What can we learn by taking apart who is doing an action, and who it is for?

While not about touch, these workshops include the possibility of sharing touch as a vessel through which to learn the concepts. This workshop is fully clothed, and optional touch in the exercises is limited to the hands and forearms. There are many ways to participate, and touch is not an essential element of the workshop.

Pricing

The workshop rate is set at a sliding scale of $10 to $110. Your contribution supports the sustainability of this offering. If accessible, the recommended rate is $110. However, contribute at the level accessible to you and know that this is equally welcome! This workshop has capacity for 12 participants.

Facilitator

Jen Metta Smith is a facilitator-in-training with the School of Consent.

For more information about Jen, visit www.jenmettasmith.ca

Click here to contact Jen in advance of the workshop.

Venue

The venue address will be shared upon registration. It is in a private home near Jericho Beach, in Vancouver.

Accessibility: The workshop space is on the ground floor and requires two steps up to access, so it is not wheelchair accessible. If you have any questions related to accessibility, please reach out. Participants will be seated for most of the workshop. Both floor and chair seating are available. Two cats and a small dog live in the home.

Guidelines for Participation include:

1. Respect the privacy of others and not sharing other people’s names or experiences – feel free to share anything the facilitator says or anything about your own experience.
2. Noticing and choosing is more important than ‘doing’. There are may ways to participate - choose the one that works best for you. This may include witnessing, pairing up for an exercise, journaling, resting on the side... Noticing and making choices is what we are practicing :) Don't do anything that you don't want to do.
3. Feelings are welcome and do not need to be justified or explained. Honor the feelings that arise in others by allowing them to feel without fixing or advising
4. Speak from your personal experience using ‘I’ statements (I feel, I notice, I’m experiencing, etc.) when sharing. This helps us each to notice and take responsibility for our own experience, and to avoid speaking in generalized ways on behalf of people or groups.
5. Use the names and pronouns people request, and honor the lived experience of those in the group. Be willing to stay open and free of assumptions about people's identities and experiences (eg. assuming gender, race, sexuality, etc).
6. Possible touch in the exercises (which are all optional) is limited to the hand and forearm. You never have to touch anyone you do not want to, and you are 100% welcome to change your mind at any time.
7. Refrain from naming desires or making requests or offers for unclothed, genital, or explicitly sexual touch or experiences during the workshop.
8. Everyone remains fully clothed (tops and bottoms).

Date & Time: Saturday, February 8th, noon to 5:00pm.

Health policy: If you have tested positive for Covid-19 or are currently symptomatic for any contagious respiratory condition please do not attend. If you have a confirmed exposure or recent proximity but have not tested positive or experienced symptoms, please wear a mask and inform the host prior to participating. Otherwise, masks are not required.

Fee: Sliding scale $10 to $110. Advance payment required. If the lowest end of the sliding scale is a barrier, please feel welcome to reach out to discuss.