The return of Flip the Script, a sexual assault resistance education program, met positive feedback but limit registration compared to expectations this year.

The national program conducts a series of sessions on sexual education based off a successful 10-year clinical trial. These sessions are designed to provide female attendees with the information and practical skills needed to recognize behaviour that may lead to or constitute sexual assault.  

Barb Lotan, Queen’s sexual violence prevention and response coordinator, spoke to the The Journal about the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

“Students have been very positive and there has been quite a lot of interest expressed [However], it has been challenging to get interest transformed into actual attendance,” she said.

Due to the condensed 12-hour commitment for the program, Lotan said some first-year students are hesitant to register, limiting a potential increase. 

The 2019 facilitators of Flip the Script program are Luissa Vahedi, MSc ’19, and Catrina Mavrigianakis, MPA ’19.

Mavrigianakis said the feedback regarding the educational aspect of the program has been “amazing,” providing a safe space for the attendees to learn and discuss sensitive topics.  

The program is offered to women from 17-24 preparing them for their time at university. 

To expand the scope of the program, The Journal asked about the possibility of including a non-binary component to its sexual assault prevention portion. “That isn’t who this particular program is designed for at this time,” Lotan said. “Other programming, with different objectives, is available on campus.”

Flip the Script is runniing registrations from March 9 to 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and registration is currently open. The program is entirely free of charge, and a catered lunch is provided for all participants.