By Jennifer Sokoloff P ‘26, ‘30
PC senior Amani Rivers was invited to attend a virtual summit on sexual assault and consent, hosted by the Georgetown Day School, as part of our continuing work at Penn Charter to develop policies and cultural change surrounding these topics. I had the pleasure of speaking with Amani about her experience.
Jennifer Sokoloff: What is the Georgetown Day School Summit on Sexual Assault and Consent and how did you get involved/invited to attend?
Amani Rivers: The GDS Summit is a two-day conference that hosts several different panels and workshops that discuss and detail extensive and important conversations around sexual assault, consent, gender, and so much more. I was invited to attend by Teacher Emma because of my role in the Gender Equity, Sexuality and Consent Task Force. When she invited me, I was overjoyed.
J: Which presenters had the biggest impact on you and why?
A: All the presenters had such important and relatable stories. They all were honest, raw, and true to their stories and how those stories affected them. I could not be more grateful to hear from them.
J: What information and ideas resonated with you the most?
A: There was so much valuable information that came from the workshops — navigating the varying comfort levels of people, how to navigate consent in a "sexy" way (an actual conversation I had), and learning that there is intersectionality everywhere. I learned so much!
J: What did you learn that you feel is applicable to the work we are doing at PC?
A: I think all the conversations I had about how to navigate consent, conversations about consent and sexuality, and even healthy "hookup culture" (seeing people as people, not goals to be achieved) are very applicable to the culture work we are doing at PC. As teenagers, we certainly do not have the answers, and I feel like a vital part of the GESC Task Force is learning how to have these conversations in a way that will stick with us.
J: How do you see the community implementing the information and ideas you gathered into policies and cultural change at PC?
A: I think the community has grown a lot, even if these conversations aren't happening in all our classrooms, per se. I do believe that these conversations are increasingly happening between friends as we seek to help each other understand and work through what are some of the most important lessons of our lives.