2022 Respect.Now.Always. in review

Here, we look back at the journey that was 2022. As we celebrate how much we have achieved, we also acknowledge wholeheartedly, that a lot more needs to be done.

• We have received the results for the National Student Safety Survey and, while recognising our work in this space, also highlighted how much more needs to be done.

• Supported the development and delivery of the Sexual Harm Prevention and Response Policy for UTS. This new policy, along with revised web presence, formalises our zero-tolerance approach, allowing us to learn from ongoing activities and put in place a continuous improvement process
• Completed our fifth year of using ice-cream to communicate about consent to 5,000 first year and incoming students
• Held five Orientation activations, including Open Day for prospective students
• Reached a record 90,000 student and staff completion of the Consent Matters module. We’re working on a new version, focusing on content updates to ensure that it remains relevant to our entire community. Thank you to our students and staff who have provided suggestions and reflections.
• Hosted three Uncensored Talks covering sexual consent and gender equity, including co-hosting the Gender Equity showcase together with Women in Engineering and IT, and the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion.

• Launched the UTS Community Student Voice project with the aim to collect more data to see where there are meaningful signs of progress and change, and recognise new opportunities to make an impact
• Completed Train the Trainer for Sex, Safety and Ethics Training with Full Stop Australia with representatives from Counselling, Student Complaints, Activate SSU and IML.
• Invited Consent Labs to host consent workshops with our student leaders, including Residential Networkers, Bar staff, and Equity Ambassadors. The success of these workshops will continue in 2023.

2023 is shaping up to be another big year, and we are ready. We’ll be working together with the UTS community to continue opening a dialogue around the important of consent, bystander intervention, and the support mechanisms UTS has been in place.

We want to remind you that UTS has, and always will, maintain zero tolerance towards any form of sexual harm. Through our Respect.Now.Always. program, we are unequivocally focussed on shifting attitudes and changing behaviours, and ensuring everybody is committed to respectful behaviour, now and always.

Know your rights, and respond with compassion to any forms of sexual violence. Report an incident, find support, or help a friend.