Special guest: interview with consent and boundaries expert and author Ingrid Laguna

In this episode, Jenny speaks with Ingrid Laguna, renowned children's writer, and co-author of new book Kit and Arlo Find a Way: Teaching consent to 8-12 year olds. There'd be a lot of parents who would think 'What? Teaching consent to my 8 year old? What are you talking about!' But the thing is, in this book, all the scenarios are age-appropriate and relevant to the lives of children of exactly this age. There are no sexual contexts included, but what is included are situations commonly experienced by primary-aged children, and it's these very situations that children can use to learn about consent, body boundaries, the importance of empathy and respect, mutual responsibility, and how to stand up for oneself. Basically it's about helping children learn how to navigate some of the tricky challenges that can come up for them at this age, such as not wanting to watch a scary film when their friends do. The book is inclusive and represents the diversity our young people are immersed in, and not only is educational but a great story with wonderful characters that kids will love and care about.

Listen in and hear Jenny and Ingrid chat about the book, and about why it's important that children are taught consent from a young age.

You can read more about Ingrid Laguna here, at her website:
Ingrid Laguna's website

Ingrid wrote the book with Vanessa Hamilton, the name and face of Talking the Talk. Vanessa is a sexuality and consent educator of many years' experience, and her website is well worth checking out, with loads of resources, school and parent services, and online courses - all evidence-based, up to date and delivered in a warm, accessible and direct manner:
Vanessa Hamilton's website

(We're hoping to have Vanessa on as a guest down the track a bit!)

You can buy Kit and Arlo Find a Way at the links below, and elsewhere:

Booktopia
Angus and Robertson online
Dymocks

And if you're a school, the publisher's website has class set discounts, you can find out more about those here, at ACER Press.

Vanessa Hamilton has a comprehensive platform of resources on her website, which you can look at in conjunction with reading the book with your young person. The back of the book also has a chapter-by-chapter list of consent topics covered, with discussion points and prompts to make sure that you're guided and supported as you read.

Kit and Arlo Find a Way: Teaching consent to 8-12 years old, free resources
 
Thanks for listening and we'd love to hear from any parents/caregivers or teachers about the topic of consent and how to talk about it with young children. You can email us at THATsexedpodcast@gmail.com