What We Rap About
The RAP Foundation provides a variety of presentations to students, teachers & parents in order to raise awareness about personal safety issues on & offline. From the outset, we believe it is important to legally define rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and consent, as well as examine how online porn & social media are influencing attitudes, expectations, behaviours & body image. Our presentations also discuss personal safety advice when online, when dating, partying, & the perils of sexting, lad-culture & revenge porn. RAP is inclusive, aware that any gender is equally vulnerable to the above issues. We include toxic masculinity, gender stereotypes in these talks as discuss the importance of being an Active Bystander. We share personal safety advice when traveling on public transport, walking the streets and at parties and dating. We conclude our workshops with advice on what to do if anyone is ever a victim of a sexual offence, and who to report it to in schools. Practicing Discretion and Kindness On and Offline, as well as Mutual Respect & Mutual Consent are our mottoes, which we ask the students to always remember. The pupils participate in anonymous surveys & the power point presentations are informed by students & their questions, observations, RAP’s anonymous surveys, academic reports & current affairs.
The Foundation is presently delivering many RAP presentations via TEAMS OR ZOOM LIVE so students can interact via the Chat function.
Digital Natives Ages 11-13: This presentation is aimed at exploring what young people are doing online. We focus on issues surrounding Sexting, Cyber Bullying, Online Grooming, & Early Sexualisation. There is no doubt that our kids are at some point exposed to very mature content & inappropriate imagery which can lead to confused emotions. We ask them to look at their online behaviour, & consider how this is influencing their personal expectations, attitudes & body image. Exploring their decision-making skills, the students are given realistic scenarios & asked to provide solutions. There are plenty of studies linking 24/7 internet access to self-esteem & mental health issues, & we want our kids to understand the negative as well as the positive aspects of life online. To conclude, we share practical advice on maintaining a positive digital tattoo, protect privacy, set boundaries & practicing Discretion & Kindness online.
Altered, Airbrushed and Unrealistic – Ages 10-18: This presentation addresses body image issues experienced by both young men & women. It is highly interactive & popular with the younger students. How does 24/7 access to social media, advertising & the Internet affect their self-esteem and body image? Why is this generation compelled to send selfies? How ‘real’ is this kind of communication? We analyse everyday TV shows & adverts, exploring subliminal messages. We examine how fame, pornography & social media influence body image & expectations. How does the quest for perfection give rise to eating disorders & a desire for cosmetic surgery amongst teens? We share personal experiences, advice shared by professionals & resources with the students. The content reflects the age group.
Social Skills for Life – Ages 12 to 14: This presentation defines rape, sexual assault & consent. Using quotes & case studies from real life teenage scenarios, we explore potentially dangerous situations & clarify consent. We also explore cases of online grooming, & unwanted attention on public transport. We touch on online pornography & look at how it is filtering into mainstream media & influencing expectations and body image. Body image is a big issue for both sexes & we have the statistics & advice on how to be kinder to yourselves & to each other. Sexting & the law is a large part of this presentation. Using acronyms, we highlight issues surrounding personal safety in terms of early dating, parties, independent travel, the use of social media & the Internet. We strongly promote the concept of discretion online, & the importance of personal boundaries as well as discussing how the future consumption of alcohol & drugs can diminish one’s radar, alter personalities & ability to clearly communicate.
Social Skills for Life – Ages 15-16, 17-18: This talk covers the same issues as above, but in a much more mature voice. Students become sexually active at various ages, some presently, or wait until university or marriage. But whatever the case, their social scene is becoming more complicated & sophisticated. We explore how online pornography is distorting sexuality, consent & body image. Body image is a big issue for both sexes & we have the statistics & advice on how to be kinder to yourself & to each other. Sexting, laws around sex crimes & what to do if one is a victim of a sexual assault is included. We share our Mottos, “Friendship, Romance & Intimacy” & “Mutual Respect and Mutual Consent. Using acronyms, we discuss personal safety habits at Music Festivals, Travel Abroad & Parties. What are the potential negative ramifications of ‘hook ups?’ at bars or on Tinder? In terms of sexual assault and risk taking, we place an emphasis on how alcohol & drugs can radically change one’s personality, while discussing the legal risks of sexting & revenge porn & how emotionally damaging they can be. We also discuss toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes.
Everyone’s Invited: Now What? – Ages 15-19: The anonymous Instagram campaign Everyone’s Invited is exposing tens of thousands of cases of peer-on-peer sexual assault and harassment on school aged pupils, the vast majority female, in the UK. Many testimonies name the schools where the alleged perpetrators attend and where many of the incidents occurred. As a result, the groundswell of emotion, confusion and anger expressed by young women, and many young men, is unprecedented and has created the opportune moment to implement real change. This presentation looks at Rape Culture, Toxic Masculinity, defines the laws on sexual offences and the necessity of practicing Mutual Respect and Mutual Consent. We analyse how the media and pornography play a major role in reenforcing negative gender stereo types and influence young people’s attitudes and expectations. This presentation empowers women, men, and all gender identities with personal safety advice, how alcohol and drugs interfere with consent, and much more. There is no room in 2021 for Privilege, Ignorance or Passive, Complicit Behaviour. We promote and teach the powerful act of Bystander Intervention. Everyone’s Invited to be an Active Bystander!
Porn: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly – Ages 14-18: We have developed a presentation which examines pornography & its enormous influence on teenagers in today’s digital world. Eliciting words & phrases that teens use to describe porn, we open the talk with a frank discussion on how it differs from Erotica & analyse how it has evolved over the years. We also share the results of our RAP Project survey, detailing who is discussing the subject with mum and/or dad and who is admitting to watching it. This, combined with various academic studies, helps us to explore how teens experience porn and how it influences expectations, behaviour and attitudes. Is porn filtering into mainstream media & influencing body image? Are teenagers becoming desensitized to what they’re seeing? The presentation then explores porn from the physiological and emotional effects porn can have on an individual. Using an excerpt from a 23-year old man who wrote to us describing his problems, a Video & sharing Ted X talks, we also look at how porn can affect the brain and its addictive nature. We also explore the business side of production. How can teenagers build healthy relationships? We believe it’s through mutual respect, mutual consent, & mutual pleasure.
The BIG LEAP – YEARS 17-19 & Upper Sixth form: There is no question regarding the dramatic transition students make when they leave the familiarity of their schools & homes & attend university or take a Gap Year. This first taste of independence can be a daunting, if exciting, experience. We provide practical guidance & share studies & advice on how to make this adjustment more confidently. Sharing quotes from first year students, as well as anecdotes, we speak frankly on ‘Freshers Week’, drinking & adapting to newfound independence. Quoting from the NUS, we discuss the rise of ‘LAD-itude,’ our word for ‘laddism’, & misogyny on campus. How does Toxic Masculinity influence young men and women today? How can students talk about this in order to promote kinder, more open communication? How are these documented attitudes reflected in university life, specifically in areas of personal safety & self-respect? Both men & women are victims of sexual harassment. We cannot underestimate the pressures of booze & of drug-fuelled parties during Fresher’s week & at Sports socials. How will the students in our presentation handle this culture of legal drinking & sexual freedom? We address the reality of false accusations. Sharing startling statistics from Brook & the NUS, we drive home the importance of consent & making sound, mutual and respectful decisions. Understanding the clear, legal definitions of sexual harassment, rape, sexual assault & consent is covered in more detail. This presentation also discusses personal safety when on a Gap Year, travelling abroad during holidays & enjoying a safer experience at Music Festivals.
Sex, Likes & Social Media: Talking to Teens in the Digital Age – Teachers Training: Students today want to discuss hard-hitting subjects, including peer on peer sexual harassment & assault; sexual citizenship; Everyone’s Invited, Active Bystander Activism & the difference between erotica & online pornography. They are also struggling with issues around body image, self-esteem, & mental health because of social media usage and 24/7 online access to the internet. The founders of The RAP Project understand these topics can be difficult for teaching staff. In this presentation we share our RAP surveys, academic surveys, resources for students in need & years of experience teaching the legal definitions of sexual offenses, practicing Mutual Respect and Mutual Consent, and our effective practice of using scenarios with students who then brainstorm responses to potential challenging situations. We also discuss how to engage parents into the conversation, as these are systemic problems. Schools, families, outside speakers are all stakeholders in raising awareness around sexual citizenship & mental & physical wellbeing. Our workshops are tailored to the teachers of specific year groups.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS:
The Big Leavers – Aged 10-12: This RAP is pitched specifically to Primary students in Year 6. We review the physical and emotional changes that they will soon experience in adolescence & discuss the realities of growing up in both the physical & online world. We examine the importance of self-esteem, peer pressure & how they can take more responsibility for their actions as they transition from primary to secondary school. If they are new to smart phones & tablets, they need to be aware that not all online content & videos are appropriate and can be damaging. We empower our young audience with the concepts of respecting others personal space & privacy; their personal & online safety, cyber bullying, & introduce the concept of consent. Practicing kindness on & offline is also discussed during this presentation.
Let’s Rap About the Digital Birds and Bees for PARENTS: This RAP is aimed at parents of children aged 9-11. Kids at this age are coping with physical changes as well as being exposed to social media & digital content. Moving schools often means taking public transport independently for the first time, & perhaps getting a smart phone for the first time. We aim to help parents examine the pressures children are facing as they mature physically as well as exposure to online content. How can parents speak to their children about sensitive subjects including puberty, sexual curiosity & online behaviour? We share useful resources & practical guidelines to help teachers & parents initiate well informed, age-appropriate conversations.
*No Person, School or Agencies are allowed to Record our Virtual or LIVE RAP Workshops without prior agreement for training purposes or future reference. This is due to RAP Project copyright & changes in laws & guidelines. All work product is owned and copyrighted by The RAP Project.”