Some conversations are hard to have.
Learning Consent exists to enable young people of all genders & sexualities to get better at sexual consent. We provide sexual consent education for young people, parents, educators and organisations. Our teaching is research driven, evidence based, inclusive & youth centred.
Dr Joy Townsend
Founder & CEO
Dr Joy Townsend is a Sociologist whose area of expertise is in the field of gender and sexualities. Her work centres on the lived experiences of young Australians. Joy founded Learning Consent to bridge the gap between the research and evidence base for teaching sexuality education effectively, and what was happening in the classroom.
Joy is one of Australia’s leading researchers and educators on sexual consent. Her research portfolio is focussed in the area of critical sexuality studies and includes a number of empirical qualitative studies with young Australians on sensitive and complex topics. Joy completed her doctorate at UNSW in 2019. It was a qualitative research project based on in-depth interviews with Australian young people. The study brings the lived experiences of young people into dialogue with existing theoretical arguments concerning agency.
Joy speaks and writes extensively on complex issues such as sexual consent, pornography, sex education, pleasure and agency.
