Five short films promoting conversations about sex and consent in young people have been viewed over 36,000 times on social media.

The films support a sexual health campaign that ran over the summer 2022, called ‘Awkward Moments’. The short films show young people in different scenarios talking about consent, pressure from friends, what is continual consent and how do you tell someone that you’ve changed you mind.  The campaign’s urges young people to talk to each other, ‘to check in with yourself and the person you’re with’.

Jill Wilson, Health Improvement Lead, Sandyford Sexual Health Service, hosted by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) said: “Staff worked in partnership with young people from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and other *NHS areas across Scotland to create the short films. The campaign aimed to help Scottish young people (aged 16-19) to recognise what good consensual intimate experiences can look like, provide support and increase confidence to start conversations around positive and mutual consent. We worked with partners from across the youth sector, including Young Scot, NSPCC, LANDED, Rape Crisis, LGBT Youth Scotland and West Lothian Council. A youth steering group was also created to ensure young people were meaningfully engaged and represented throughout the process.”

Thread & Fable, a marketing and communications agency, designed the campaign, which draws upon insights around young people’s concerns about what the other person is thinking, not being able to communicate what they want or worrying about other people’s reaction. Groups unanimously agreed that conversations about sex and consent can always be awkward and while nothing will stop that being so, equipping the audience with the skills to have better conversations around consent while they are in those moments would reinforce positive behaviour change. 

Katherine Dempsie, a young person who has been involved on the youth panel throughout the process said: “It’s been so rewarding to be part of this project through all its stages. It’s so assuring to see the research that I was part of translated in the films in such a relatable manner, and I’m really happy with how much young people, not just myself, were part of the decision-making in the scripts and production. I really hope the films help normalise those awkward moments that are so necessary in sexual relationships.”

The campaign went live at the end of June 2022 and ran on social media platforms throughout the summer until September. One of the most important factors from the campaign was to influence behaviour change amongst the target audience when it comes to conversations about consent.

Data shows that:there were:

1.6 million impressions on social media
36,000 views of the films
62% said they had examples of how to check in with a partner about consent
46% said they were more confident to have conversations about consent and
43% said they learned how to communicate consent in their own relationships.

The Awkward Moments films are now included in the national teaching resource rshp.scot at Senior Phase. 

Jill continued: “We’re delighted with the response to the campaign, which now has been shortlisted for three public sector communications awards.”

*NHS areas were NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lothian and NHS Lanarkshire on behalf of a partnership with other health boards (NHS Tayside, NHS Highland, NHS Orkney and NHS Dumfries & Galloway).