I’ve recently come to the end of the first Consent Based Education course for parents.

The course is made up of 6 sessions, and runs fortnightly over 12 weeks. I always hoped that both mums and dads would be drawn to taking part, and amazingly, we had a 50:50 split. It was such a pleasure to work with the group over the six sessions, I learnt a lot from their experiences and insights, and finished the course feeling really excited about the potential of CBE ideas being taken out into the world. I am really going to miss meeting the group once a fortnight, eating popcorn, and discussing making the world a better place!

If you are curious as to what it is like to take part, the quote below is taken from feedback that I received from one of the parents that just finished the course:

My experience of the CBE course was one that left me feeling empowered, invigorated, and ultimately feeling that anything is possible. I originally wanted to attend the course as we as a family know that we will unschool in the future. That however shouldn’t determine whether you do the course or not. If you are a gentle parenting household, or you feel that your children are being deprived of their autonomy on a regular basis, and you are uncomfortable with that, this course will give you the courage and most importantly the tools to question those deeply rooted patriarchal influences found in schools and every day situations.

As a mother of 3 little ones, having the course material to digest and assimilate between each session was very welcome indeed. It enabled me to feel prepared with the questions i wanted to ask, thus leaving me feeling like I had gotten everything I had wanted out of each session.

This course is perfect for anyone who has that uncomfortable conflicted feeling that their children’s autonomy isn’t being heard or respected. Having an understanding of the history of patriarchy, and where perhaps our own subconscious patriarchal influences stem from, gives us the opportunity to change and follow a more consensual lifestyle. For me in particular this was pivotal in allowing myself the opportunity to forgive myself for the times I should of been more consensual with my children, and turning a belief into behaviour.

The course that Sophie has created is an authentic, and loving space in which to reflect and learn on how we can all become a more consenting family unit and more pertinantly, shift the way we think and treat our children as a society. It has definitely helped me reframe my perception on relationships, love, life, and what education for our children and future generations should look like.

What has the course left me thinking? My words cannot sum it up better than Sophie’s: “If we want our children to understand consent, we have to live it with them”.

One of my regrets is not taking a group photo before the course was finished – I won’t make that mistake again! Below is a one of the pictures that was kindly taken during the course.

In the next few days I will be releasing booking details for the Autumn course, which will be taking place locally to Bishop’s Stortford, between September and November. If you would like more information, or would like a CBE course in your area, please contact me by email: sophiechristophy@gmail.com