Triggers Discussions re “Only Yes Means Yes”
As the school year begins, we urge you to remember the We-Consent™ suite of mobile apps.
Given all the attention which sexual assault cases (both real and unfounded) have attracted this past school year, ISCE.edu has created a set of mobile apps to address the problem. See http://protectequalsrespect.com. Black Sports Online called this “a brilliant piece of technology.”
We realize that no app can prevent all sexual assaults, however, our apps can help with the vast majority of cases where what has occurred is a lack of explicit discussion — leading to misunderstandings, confusion, and sometimes, unfortunately, accusations. It is critical to remember that 85% of unwanted sexual encounters are NOT reported. Changing the context in which these unwanted encounters occur is our primary goal.
Our “yes” app, called WE-CONSENT™, is designed to promote the explicit discussions which the new standard of “only yes means yes” demands and, if both partners agree to create it, a secure video record of their joint affirmative consent. That record is private, encrypted, and available ONLY to law enforcement, a college or university disciplinary proceeding, or upon our receipt of a subpoena. It is NOT available to the users and cannot be circulated on the internet nor elsewhere.
Because everyone has a right to change their mind, we also created two “no” apps for that express purpose (the What-About-No™ app and the soon to be released Changed-Mind™ app). In addition, should coercion be threatened or applied, the We-Consent™ app does record an answer of “forced … yes” — which creates a permanent record of that coercion (and should deter the coercer from proceeding). [We recommend that schools which adopt the We-Consent™ app make this “forced .. yes” ability widely known as a deterrent measure.]
We will shortly be releasing the I’ve-Been-Violated™ app – which gives victims of an unwanted encounter the ability to make a video recording of what occurred. That recording, to be made once they are in a safe place, can function as “contemporaneous evidence” whenever the victim does decide to speak with appropriate authorities.
These apps, as a suite, give students constant access to both discussion triggers (i.e. “should we use the We-Consent™ App?”) and the tools they need to make affirmative consent work.
WE-CONSENT™ is only available to members of the Affirmative Consent Division of ISCE.edu and all sign-ups occur through the http://protectequalsrespect.com web site. We are making these memberships available at a group price of $100 for 25 students (i.e. $4 each) and individually ($5). Additional discounts are available for schools offering campus wide access. Every member receives access to the full WE-CONSENT™ Suite of Apps and additional access to the web research tools offered by ISCE.edu (see http://epi-search.com).
Affirmative Consent is becoming a critical part of the college and university experience. ISCE.edu is proud to be able to offer your school the tools you and your students need to make the adjustment to “only yes means yes” a constructive part of their lives.
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MmNTkHhrd8 and http://www.mtv.com/news/2226330/consent-theres-an-app-for-that/
Note these apps are presently only available for iPhone. Android access will be available by Christmas. The app suite is NOT available in the Apple App Store (Apple banned us for being “icky”.)
Please see our briefing package available at http://isce.edu/briefing1.pdf for more information. High resolution photos are available at http://isce.edu/photos.pptx.
Please visit http://protectequalsrespect.com to learn more, and feel free to contact me directly at lissack@isce.edu or 617-710-9565 with any questions or concerns.
Many thanks for your time
Michael Lissack, ISCE Executive Director