There’s definitely a difference between the educator interaction on Twitter and that on Facebook, and recently a teacher on the latter put out a call for resources that I retweeted on Twitter. Within an hour, the resources shared were so great, I had to drop them all in this short blog post so that it can be used as a one-stop shop for this topic.

In the tweet below I cut and pasted the original request from Carin Barrett looking for podcasts related to sexual assault and dating violence. Carin refers to PBC, which stands for Podcast Brunch Club – a book club for podcasts, with a growing network of local chapters across the country. Off the top of my head I couldn’t think of any podcasts suitable for Carin…but oh my goodness, my PLN sure could!

 

Here is the list of podcasts, and it really is a very good list. As I discover further podcasts I will add them to this blog post.

I must add a trigger warning for all of these podcasts, which might make for uncomfortable listening for some.

Radiolab – In the No:Part 1 (56 minutes)

In 2017, radio-maker Kaitlin Prest released a mini-series called “No” about her personal struggle to understand and communicate about sexual consent. That show, which dives into the experience, moment by moment, of navigating sexual intimacy, struck a chord with many of us. It’s gorgeous, deeply personal, and incredibly thoughtful. And it seemed to presage a much larger conversation that is happening all around us in this moment. And so we decided to embark, with Kaitlin, on our own exploration of this topic. Over the next three episodes, we’ll wander into rooms full of college students, hear from academics and activists, and sit in on classes about BDSM. But to start things off, we are going to share with you the story that started it all. Today, meet Kaitlin (if you haven’t already). Read more about this episode here.

The Heart – No (4 episodes)

Referenced above, here are the original 4 episodes from Kaitlin Prest. In episode 1 we meet Kaitlin in her youth as she learns to navigate her first sexual experiences along with the confusion of her desires. Kaitlin learns how to decline unwanted sexual advances and the difficulty of advocating for her needs. But what is she to do when her words are ignored and her agency is taken from her?

NPR – Believed (10 episodes)

How did Larry Nassar, an Olympic gymnastics doctor, get away with abusing hundreds of women and girls for two decades? Believed is an inside look at how a team of women won a conviction in one of the largest serial sexual abuse cases in U.S. history. It’s a story of survivors finding their power in a cultural moment when people are coming to understand how important that is. It’s also an unnerving exploration of how even well-meaning adults can fail to believe.

The Daily – A High School Assault (25 minutes)

“A High School Assault,” the September 20 episode of the New York Times podcast The Daily, was a quiet, bracing, and emotionally powerful half hour. It was, in part, an adaptation of “I Believe Her,” an essay by Caitlin Flanagan that appeared on The Atlantic’s website on Monday, in which Flanagan tells the story of her own sexual assault in high school back in the 1970s, how she suffered for it, and how, years later, her assailant apologized and she forgave him. Read more about the episode here.

On Being with Krista Tippett – #MeToo Through a Solutions Lens (52 minutes)

“What we are naming with the impetus of #MeToo is, at best, an opening to a long-term cultural reckoning to grow up humanity; to make our society more whole. We explore this with psychotherapist Avi Klein, who works with men and couples, and feminist journalist Rebecca Traister. In a room full of journalists, at the invitation of the Solutions Journalism Network, we explored how to build the spaces, the imaginative muscle, and the pragmatic forms to support healing for women and men, now and in time.” Read more about the episode here.

Dear Sugars – Consent Part 1 (39 minutes)

From a great show with over 100 episodes – there’s a consent part 2 and 3 also. In this first episode of the series, we hear from two women who have opposing reactions to the #MeToo moment. “How do I make the men in my life understand where women everywhere are coming from?” asks one woman, adding, “My blood boils when listening to their insensitive and wholly incorrect comments.” Another woman asks: “In some cases, like the accusations against Louis C.K., I find myself feeling strangely defensive of the men’s behavior. Am I just as big of a sleazebag as these guys are for letting these things happen?” Read more about this episode here.

The Emo Social Club Podcast – An Interview with Our Music My Body (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Sexual Violence) (71 minutes)

The hosts interview Maggie and Matt from Our Music My Body, an organization working to stop sexual violence at concert events in Chicago and beyond. They continue their discussion of #MeToo, discuss when an artist can make a comeback, and give you opportunities to volunteer.

Truth Telling: Abortion Stories from Youth (18 minute playlist)

From the good people of ICAH these are storytelling snippets (they’re predominantly abortion stories where some mention dating violence/safety).

Mindshift – Overcoming Childhood Trauma: How Parents and Schools Work to Stop the Cycle (26 minutes)

Many people have experienced some kind of trauma in their childhood, such as loss of a caregiver, substance abuse in the home, homelessness or abuse. There are ten types of “Adverse Childhood Experiences” that were identified in a studyconducted in the 1990s. The total number of childhood traumas someone has experienced determines their ACE score. About 2/3s of the people in the groundbreaking study had at least one ACE, but the researchers also found higher rates of adult physical and mental illness associated with the amount of trauma people experienced as children.

Hear how staff and teachers work with kids who’ve experienced serious trauma, and how Sabrina and Aroara heal together on this episode of the MindShift Podcast.

 

One additional response to my original tweet for resources was this link from a community in which someone else requested podcast suggestions. You might find some ideas here also.

This TED Talk from Nadine Burke Harris might be of interest to those looking at the effects of childhood trauma.

I have also shown this powerful TED Talk to help answer some of the questions my students have, particularly “Why don’t the targets of abuse just leave?”

This 6 part show, Surviving R Kelly, is currently airing and will also be of interest to some.

I have to give a shout out to the following people for their role in collating this list:

• Adela Mizrachi, the founder of Podcast Brunch Club.
• Our Music My Body a collaborative campaign between @Between_Friends & @ResilienceCHI who work to promote fun and consensual music experiences all over Chicago.
• ICAH – Illinois Adolescent Health who are transforming public consciousness about youth sexual health, rights, and identities & building capacity of family, school & healthcare systems to support.
• Kim Cavill, a sex education teacher who has her own podcast – Six Minute Sex Ed, a weekly podcast that helps people talk about sex. Inclusive, informative, and sex positive.
• Chris Pepper, a health teacher, trainer, writer and advocate for #healthed and comprehensive #sexed in public schools. Based in San Fransisco, CA.
• Scott Todnem, Teacher. Writer. Speaker. Check out his #HealthEd projects  http://YouTube.com/MrTodnem  →videos.   http://Anchor.fm/LifeIsTheFuture  → podcast. He is also Midwest Health Teacher of the Year, 2019.